By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer
Nuclear energy – in both large and small sizes – is getting a shot in the arm in the U.S. with the announcements of two major projects. At the same time, the Trump administration is pushing ahead with efforts to revive shuttered nuclear plants.
On Oct. 21, The Nuclear Company announced plans for an energy campus in Lewis County, Kentucky, along the Ohio River, that could eventually accommodate up to six Westinghouse AP1000 reactors producing about 6.6 gigawatts of electricity.
The AP1000, is a 1,000-megawatt, traditional pressurized-water reactor. The Trump administration is issuing a $17.5 billion conditional loan commitment to help utilities and power companies build up to 10 AP1000 reactors.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is requiring $1 billion equity split between Westinghouse and utility partners.
The Nuclear Company, a Lexington, Kentucky-based startup, is beginning “site development activities,” including geotechnical and environmental assessments, and electricity transmission planning, according to a company release
The goal is to get federal approvals to begin site construction by 2028 for its “Prosperity One” campus, the company said.
“For generations, communities along the Ohio River have formed America’s industrial backbone,” Joe Klecha, chief nuclear officer for The Nuclear Company, said in a statement. “We are proud to partner with the community.”
Small modular reactors (SMR) also got a boost in October with the announcement by American Electric Power (AEP) of a joint development agreement with X-energy and Amazon to explore building a 960-megawatt (MW) project.
Columbus, Ohio-based AEP serves customers from Texas to Appalachia. Rockville, Maryland-based X-energy is developing a small gas-cooled reactor and is already partnering with chemical maker Dow to provide steam and electricity at a Texas Gulf Coast complex.
Amazon is supporting the project’s development through a funding agreement. If the project is built, it has a commitment to purchase power.
“Our agreements with Amazon and X-energy will provide all necessary capital protections and financial safeguards that we have said are essential for any potential nuclear project to move forward,” Bill Fehrman, AEP CEO, said in statement.
Fehrman said the project would “help meet unprecedented growth in energy demand with reliable baseload power while protecting affordability for existing customers.”
The trio is looking to construct a reactor facility at a former coal plant site in Sullivan County, Indiana. The plan is to use 12 XE-100 modular reactors, which each generate about 80 MW of electricity.
In August, the DOE picked 11 SMR technologies to fast-track (X-energy was not among the companies selected).
In September, the DOE announced the final closing of a loan for up to $1.9 billion to NextEra Energy to help finance the restart of the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Linn County, Iowa. The 615-megawatt nuclear plant was closed in 2020.
The loan is part of $4.4 billion in financing to restart three shuttered reactors totaling 2.25 gigawatts of generating capacity. The other plants in line for loan support are the Palisades Power Plant in Michigan and the Crane Clean Energy Center on Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania.
“This Administration is pursuing a comprehensive nuclear strategy, restarting existing reactors, increasing the output of our nuclear fleet, and accelerating new construction, to build the abundant, affordable, and reliable power system required for American prosperity and reindustrialization,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James P. Danly said in a statement.
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