Workforce makes existing sites attractive for nuclear, ECA says

A report the Energy Communities Alliance is rolling out this week at the Waste Management Symposia in Phoenix says existing Department of Energy nuclear installations and other electric power sites are increasingly being targeted for new reactors.

The Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) report is titled “From the Atomic Age to New Nuclear: Energy Communities Ready to Help Unleash Nuclear Power” and will be available on the ECA website.

The report viewed by Exchange Monitor says localities near DOE nuclear facilities already have a pool of workers familiar with nuclear and radiation matters. 

“The communities near DOE and former energy sites offer a variety of advantages that the American energy industry can capitalize upon to unleash the next wave of nuclear innovation,” ECA said in the report. “First and foremost, local communities near DOE sites can offer a pool of talented workers, again well-versed in nuclear issues.”

According to the report, land on or near five DOE weapons complex sites are already being proposed for more than a dozen new nuclear projects, mostly small modular reactors or microreactors. 

Elsewhere, reactor restarts have already been proposed for three previously-shuttered commercial nuclear stations: Duane Arnold in Iowa; Palisades in Michigan and Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. Finally, there are a smattering of other proposed projects, including fusion ventures and plans to convert old coal-fired power plant sites for nuclear energy, according to ECA.

“For more than 80 years, the security of the United States and its allies has been supported by a safe and strong nuclear deterrent. To develop, build and maintain this deterrent, nuclear sites and infrastructure emerged across the country and added scientific prowess to America’s competitive edge and its security,” according to the report.

ECA is a non-profit set up to advocate for localities next door to DOE installations.