Broad nuclear aspirations discussed in Atoms for Appalachia launch

Fleishmann echoed the report’s optimistic outlook on the nuclear potential in the nation’s Appalachia region, which includes his Tennessee district, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and numerous other nuclear innovation campuses.

“I'm all about energy, energy, energy,” Fleishmann said during the launch event. “Without being too braggadocious, I would say I’m probably the biggest proponent of civil nuclear energy in either [chamber] right now. . . . I’ve basically inherited the role of being the nuclear champion in Congress.”

A closer look: In each of the four states, the 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

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

State breakdowns:

• North Carolina has five reactors that generate more than 30 percent of the state’s electricity. The state as a whole 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 has four reactors that supply more than 45 percent of the state’s electricity. The state’s 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 the state’s electricity. However, state lawmakers approved a bill in 2022 that lifted the state ban on new nuclear construction.

Quotable: “Electricity—and more broadly, energy—is a foundation and very much transformative in the area that we find ourselves today and into the future,” Lisa Marshall, president of the American Nuclear Society, said in her opening remarks at the event.

“It’s really the bloodline of modern society, or communities near and far,” she added.

From the panelists: Lauren Hughes, deputy director of the Nuclear Energy Policy Initiative within the Atlantic Council, authored the report and brought together a panel of industry stakeholders for the launch event representing the Carolinas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

“Most people don’t realize this, but as recent at 2012, 50 percent of electrical power generated in North Carolina came from coal,” said Ken Canavan, president of E4 Carolinas, a trade association promoting the Carolina energy economy, efficient use of resources, and environment—the “four Es”.

Canavan stated that today coal only accounts for 10 percent of North Carolina’s energy production, and nuclear generates almost 34 percent of the state’s power, which puts the state at fifth in the nation for nuclear.

“All the way from jobs, supply chain, economic development, and tax base, nuclear is very positive,” he said.

Molly Cripps, director of Tennessee’s Energy Office, spoke about the state’s support for nuclear, including both fission and fusion research and development. She pointed to the $2.6 million earmarked in the state’s budget to “develop the nation’s first regulatory framework for commercial fusion power.”

“I don’t want to leave fusion out,” Cripps said. “I was absolutely delighted to see that it was included.”

Sola Talabi, president of Pittsburgh Technical and adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh, shared his story of coming from Nigeria 27 years ago with the intention of completing school and returning to his home country to help support energy deployment. But after getting a job with Westinghouse in 2001 and learning about nuclear energy technology, he stayed in the U.S.

“I’ve always felt that nuclear power can do for the power sector is like what cell phones do for the telecommunications field, especially the advanced reactors and microreactors,” Talabi said.

Justin Wiliams, director of Affiliated Construction Trades West Virginia, pointed to the state as an energy producer from the start.

“It’s one of the few states that provides more energy to the grid than it uses, so we’re proud of that,” he said.

Since 2022, the state has been taking a hard look at nuclear development.

“We’re seeing a bill here that our governor just proposed this week to do more microgrids and data center–specific work. West Virginia is a kind of a blank canvas for that opportunity,” Williams said, pointing to the state’s opportunities to build and compete with neighbors who don’t have as much space left for such projects.