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FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – The Kentucky Senate voted overwhelmingly Monday to lay the groundwork for attracting nuclear energy projects to the state where coal has dominated and sustained the economy for generations. It passed with a majority vote.
Republican Sen. Danny Carroll said Kentucky needs to embrace a variety of energy sources, including coal, natural gas and renewables, to meet its energy needs, but his bill doesn’t avoid it. He emphasized that this will prepare the Bluegrass State for a likely energy surge. nuclear energy.
“I believe Kentucky needs to continue moving forward with all of the above approaches,” he said. “But I also strongly believe that nuclear power is the future of this Commonwealth, and it is essential that this Commonwealth stays at the forefront and is not left behind.”
His bill passed the Senate by a vote of 34-0, with senators from the coalfields joining in support. The bill next goes to the House of Representatives. Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers. By the same tally, the Senate adopted a related resolution directing the State Civil Service Commission to prepare for nuclear energy.
To build on that foundation, Senate Bill 198 would establish the Kentucky Nuclear Development Authority. The center will be housed at the University of Kentucky’s Center for Applied Energy Research and will be managed by an advisory board whose members represent a variety of stakeholder groups.
The authority will be a non-regulatory agency dealing with issues related to nuclear energy and its development in Kentucky. It would also support the development of a “nuclear ecosystem” aimed at strengthening the economy, protecting the environment, supporting community voices and preparing the workforce of the future.
The bill would initiate a siting study to identify the best candidate site for a nuclear reactor and related facilities. The agency will set standards for voluntary designations as “nuclear-ready communities,” and such designation would require the nuclear industry to ” , Carroll said, sending a signal that they are open to nuclear power. He said.
An accompanying resolution urges the Civil Service Commission to “review all aspects of our operations so that when the first license request comes, we are not scrambling for six months to a year to figure out how to process a particular license.” is required. It’s the situation,” Carroll said.
The nuclear bill passed the Senate with little debate. This is the result of last year’s legislative action that created the Nuclear Energy Working Group.
Democratic Sen. Robin Webb on Monday pointed to the coal connection and changing times. Although she describes herself as a “former coal miner, she never thought she would be on the Atomic Energy Select Committee,” she said. Webb also said the state will need to adopt a diversified energy portfolio for years to come.
Carroll, who has advocated for years for the acceptance of nuclear energy, said Monday that his bill was not intended to marginalize other energy sources, including coal.
“I don’t want anyone to be misled or think that this bill is in any way criticizing coal, natural gas, renewables, or any of the other energy sources that we utilize at this time. ” he said.
Kentucky’s coal industry has declined significantly over the past two decades, with the state producing about a quarter of the coal it mined 20 years ago.
But the state still generates about 68% of its electricity from coal, a number that is at historic lows as the power generation industry shuts down coal-fired power plants and switches to cheaper natural gas-fired generators. This has decreased from about 90%.
Nuclear power is new territory for Kentucky, but neighboring states like Illinois and Tennessee have had reactors for decades. Tennessee’s two nuclear reactors provided about 45% of the state’s electricity generation in 2022, according to the Energy Information Administration.
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Lovan reported from Louisville, Kentucky.
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