New Ohio board part of momentum for state-driven nuclear development

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine recently made new appointments-including American Nuclear Society members Raymond Cao of Ohio State University and Alicia Walls of BWX Technologies-to the Ohio Nuclear Development Authority.

The nine-member governor-appointed board was created in June 2023 by state lawmakers aimed at boosting research and development of advanced nuclear reactors, commercial isotope production, and nuclear waste reduction and storage technology. The group has initial funding of $750,000.

In addition to Cao and Walls, the other new appointees announced this month are Mark Miller, Steven Moore, Michael Snee, and William Thesling. Their terms on the board will end August 1, 2029.

Big picture: Since 2016, the National Conference of State Legislatures has seen nearly double the number of nuclear energy-related policies considered by state authorities-up from 74 bills in 2016 to more than 160 bills considered in more recent sessions.

Daniel Shea of the NCSL shared in the Fall/Winter 2023 Journal of Critical Infrastructure Policythat nuclear energy is experiencing new momentum as a viable resource to support decarbonization efforts.

"A growing number of states enacted policies aimed at developing new nuclear capacity to support clean energy goals or reliability. This represents a shift from defensive posturing toward a more proactive posture," Shea wrote. "These policies have been enacted by both red and blue states-a reflection of the increasingly bipartisan position nuclear power occupies in the U.S. political discourse."

Since 2016, four states (Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York) have adopted policies to support nuclear plants that would likely shut down without state assistance due to negative pricing favoring cheap natural gas and subsidized renewables in the energy market.

Small modular reactor plans have gained traction in many states looking to shore up additional "dispatchable" generation to fill gaps left by renewable power sources such as wind and solar, Shea added.

"And while the ideological and policy reasons for supporting nuclear power may differ, the end result appears to be beneficial to the nuclear power industry," he wrote.

State investments: The Tennessee Nuclear Advisory Council launched in 2023; and Virginia included $5 million in the state budget for a Nuclear Innovation Hub.

Michigan's legislature created a bipartisan Nuclear Energy Caucus and secured $150 million in state funding to restart the Palisades plant while also passing legislation to study SMRs to support a state clean energy standard to recognize the contributions of carbon-free nuclear energy.

The list goes on: Minnesota has passed an ambitious mandate to reach 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2024 with support from nuclear; Texas is directing its Public Utility Commission to organize a working group in support of advanced nuclear; and similar nuclear studies are launching in Colorado, Nebraska, Kentucky, Indiana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

The Nuclear Energy Institute continues to track progress across the states.

Back to Ohio: The new state board aims to be an information resource for Ohio, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, all branches of the U.S. military, and the federal Department of Energy on advanced nuclear research reactors, isotopes, and isotope technologies.

The board wants to position Ohio as a leader in the development and construction of advanced nuclear reactors, as well as the commercial production of isotopes and nuclear waste storage options.

Appointees to the Ohio board must have experience with nuclear engineering and manufacturing industry in the fields of safety, nuclear industry, or engineering research and development.