“Atoms for Appalachia” report outlines growth opportunities

The council hosted a series of Atoms for Appalachia (A4A) workshops last year in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia in partnership with the Breakthrough Energy Foundation. The sessions explored workforce demand, partnership opportunities, and innovation happening across the nuclear industry.

The Atlantic Council is hosting an official launch of the report—Atoms for Appalachia: The Role of Nuclear Energy in Economic Development—at 11 a.m. (EST) on March 20. This virtual event is free and open to the public.

Quotable: “States can leverage their legacies of innovation and energy leadership to reimagine their economic futures and seize on opportunities to lead in next-generation nuclear energy technologies,” the A4A report states. “Stakeholders can develop a regional strategy for deployment that emboldens the states where they are best suited to lead.”

“Together, they can harness the atom for economic development and advance behind a common cause: to innovate a path forward.”

A closer look: In each of the four states, the A4A workshops offered a forum for questions and comments about nuclear power at the local, state, and federal levels. Attendees included community residents, representatives from nuclear generation companies, and national organizations.

The report highlights the importance of economic well-being and community support for establishing a “heart fleet” to promote the U.S. leadership in nuclear energy and innovation.

“A4A workshop discussions were state-centric but focused on a common throughline: to examine the role of advanced nuclear technologies in facilitating clean manufacturing and stimulating local and regional economic opportunities,” according to the report.

The Appalachian states can contribute to nuclear energy growth by physically deploying an advanced reactor, or by contributing to the nuclear supply chain.

State breakdowns:

• North Carolina, with five reactors that generate more than 30 percent of the state’s electricity, embraces nuclear energy and advanced reactor deployment and has a goal of 100 percent carbon-neutral electricity by 2050.
• Pennsylvania has eight reactors that provide 30 percent of the state’s electricity. There’s strong interest in the state, and Pennsylvania lawmakers recently reconstituted its Nuclear Energy Caucus to “build safeguards—not barriers—to move quickly and construct SMRs,” according to the report.
• Tennessee’s four reactors that supply more than 45 percent of the state’s electricity. Its newly established Nuclear Energy Advisory Council has been studying opportunities to deploy the $50 million Nuclear Energy Fund approved by state lawmakers in the 2023–2024 budget.
• West Virginia does not have any nuclear plants currently and still relies on coal for around 85 percent of its electricity. However, state lawmakers approved a bill in 2022 that lifted the state ban on new nuclear construction.

What’s next: Those interested in learning more about the report can register for the free Atlantic Council launch on March 20. Click here for more information.