The Mississippi Public Service Commission recently held a summit that examined topics related to nuclear power.
Scott Hunnewell, Vice President of the New Nuclear Program at Tennessee Valley Authority, noted that TVA is evaluating various forms of new nuclear technology.
In August, TVA’s Board of Directors approved $150 million in additional advanced nuclear funding to support continued design work and TVA’s development of potential small modular reactors at its Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tenn.
The Board, which approved an initial $200 million at its February 2022 board meeting, has now approved $350 million in total for the project.
Hunnewell said that TVA is developing a strategic plan for a potential fleet of SMRs to support TVA’s aspirational goal of being carbon free by 2050.
“We’re using a methodical and risk informed approach” to the potential deployment of an SMR at the Clinch River site, he said.
Hunnewell noted that TVA has evaluated other potential sites for new nuclear generation including its Bellefonte site, an unfinished nuclear power plant site in Alabama.
Other speakers at the summit were:
- Jeff Merrifield, US Nuclear Industry Council Chairman and former NRC Commissioner
- Jim Smiley, Senior Manager Advanced Nuclear Development Grand Gulf Nuclear Station in Port Gibson, Mississippi
- Mike King, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Special Assistant for ADVANCE ACT Implementation
- CEO James Walker & Chairman Jay Yu, Nano Nuclear Energy Corporation
- Kirk Sorensen, Chief Technologist of Flibe Energy, Yellow Creek nuclear site in Tishomingo County
Florida Regulators Hold Nuclear Power Workshop
The Florida Public Service Commission in early September held a Nuclear Power Technology Workshop. Topics included economic and technology updates on advanced nuclear power technologies, policy and regulatory issues related to advanced nuclear development, and opportunities for Florida.
Presenters included, among others, two officials from the Florida Electric Power Coordinating Group -- Jacob Williams, Chair, Board of Directors, and Lauren Sher, Chair, Next Generation Nuclear Workgroup.
Along with his role at the Florida Electric Power Coordinating Group, Williams is also General Manager and CEO of Florida Municipal Power Agency.
Florida House Bill 1645, passed in the 2024 legislative session, requires the PSC to study and evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of using advanced nuclear power technologies, including small modular reactors (SMRs), to meet the State’s electrical power needs.
The Bill also states that the PSC should evaluate ways to encourage and foster the installation and use of such technologies at military installations in the State, in partnership with public utilities.
This evaluation is to be conducted in consultation with the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Emergency Management, concluding with a report submitted to the Governor and the Legislature by April 1, 2025.