As the coal industry continues to shrink, Senators in Kentucky are exploring the option of nuclear energy.
Sen. Danny Carroll (R-Benton) introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 171 in the Senate Economic Development, Tourism and Labor Committee, which, if passed, would request that the Legislative Research Commission explore the option of funding sources and research institutions that would be capable of conducting a feasibility study for nuclear generators capable of producing electric power for Kentuckians.
“We have always been able to provide low-cost energy due to coal, and unfortunately, as we move away from coal, we’re going to fall behind if we don’t look towards the future,” Carroll said. “We’ll be bringing folks in to educate the legislature during the interim on the next-gen reactors and hopefully get some folks more comfortable with nuclear energy.”
Carroll has been working with the Idaho National Laboratory on the feasibility study and also noted the recent lifting of the moratorium in Kentucky.
“You all know years back we lifted the nuclear moratorium in Kentucky. However, since that time, there really hasn’t been a lot of discussion on nuclear energy due to the lower cost of natural gas primarily and electricity in general,” Carroll said.
After the moratorium on nuclear energy was lifted, a research article was written by Haagen, Katie and titled “Nuclear Energy: Kentucky’s New Coal?,” detailed the pros and cons of nuclear power in Kentucky.
“Kentucky is capable of building and supporting a nuclear power plant, and with the recent passage of Senate Bill 89, there has never been a more pressing time to do so,” said the paper, which was published in 2017 in the Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law.
In his testimony, Carroll noted that the Tennessee Valley Authority is working to build small modular reactors. He also talked about how Bill Gates is working to build TerraPower in Wyoming, which will use sodium reactors. He said this is different from the reactors that use water to keep them cool.
“That’s one of the next-generation reactors that’s much safer,” Carroll said of the sodium reactors. “It uses basically salt as coolant, rather than having flowing water, and is much safer.”
He elaborated that there are many other technologies being worked on throughout the world to keep reactors safe.
“If Kentucky were to construct a nuclear power plant that rivaled TVA’s Watts Barr II in Tennessee, the plant could create over 5 thousand jobs resulting in an estimated 400 million dollar economic impact,” the report says.
But, one of the concerns is getting rid of nuclear waste.
“Comparing amounts of waste between coal and nuclear energy is an additional factor to consider when contemplating replacing coal with nuclear energy,” the report says. “Radioactivity of nuclear waste is concerning for many residents when nuclear power plant sites are proposed near residents’ homes.”
There are other alternative options out there, but Carroll said that while solar can contribute, it doesn’t meet baseload requirements.
“We are going to be looking for various sources, and the nuclear is carbon-free as we move toward green [energies],” Carroll said.
“Solar power is not the answer,” Carroll said. “Is it a supplement? Yes, but we need baseload energy, and nuclear is the most efficient type of baseload energy.”
Northern Kentucky Sen. Wil Schroder (R-Wilder) chairs the committee and noted that there’s been complacency on looking at nuclear power because of the low energy costs.
“I think energy really becomes an important issue for our security of our nation and the energy independence and just for our consumers and constituents keeping those costs down,” he said.