Wisconsin utility moves forward on nuclear power
Minnesota remains suspended in time when it comes to energy solutions, one of just twelve states that still prohibits the development of new nuclear power plants. But across the border in Wisconsin, they aren’t wasting any time or energy in leading the charge to embrace nuclear power again.
Dairyland Electric Cooperative continues to explore the possibilities of a new generation of small modular reactors by NuScale Power in Oregon that could go on line surprisingly soon, according to the Winona Daily News.
“We are absolutely interested in nuclear going forward,” said Dairyland president/CEO Brent Ridge. He spoke to the media Monday after the cooperative hosted a roundtable discussion on nuclear energy in La Crosse.
Dairyland hasn’t produced nuclear energy since closing its Genoa reactor in 1987. However, executives at the cooperative said advances in technology are making nuclear power economically viable again. Dairyland executive vice president Kevin Nordt described a new generation of smaller nuclear plants as “a real game changer.”
“It’s doable,” Nordt said. “It could be 5 to 6 years. It’s not something that’s decades away.”
The pivot to small modular reactors coincides with a more widespread acknowledgement of the obvious–wind and solar will never come close to supplying our appetite for energy. The fact is, nuclear power already supplies more clean energy than all other sources combined.
“Nuclear has to be a piece of the puzzle if we’re going to have a de-carbonized future,” Nordt said.
Dairyland vice president Jason Herbert said nuclear energy accounts for half of the country’s non-carbon electricity generation.
“Ten years ago, we’re probably not be having the conversations we’re having today,” Herbert said.
Wisconsin Business notes the state’s Public Service Commission Chair Summer Strand fully supports efforts to bring back nuclear power, the sooner the better.
Strand said “there is a lot of really exciting innovation, research and development happening” within the nuclear technology space.
“If I had it my way, it would be happening faster and be more readily available,” she said Thursday, noting European countries are already making progress on small modular reactors.
One of the big selling points is the reduced size, cost and construction time of the mini reactors.
These nuclear fission reactors are much smaller and easier to construct than traditional nuclear power plants. Their generating capacity is about one-third the size of these installations, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, and they can be deployed for various uses including power generation and industrial applications.
This year Congress passed legislation streamlining the permitting process and other regulations that have held back nuclear power development. The legislation also cut licensing and application fees and includes incentives for developing new nuclear plants.
All of which leaves Minnesota on the sidelines, a mere spectator as competing states move to develop a nuclear future.