Advanced Nuclear First Mover Initiative: Ready, set, grow
image: The map illustrates the states participating in the Nuclear First Mover Initiative. The light blue indicates the state chairs with the dark blue participating.
Credit: Idaho National Laboratory
Eleven governors and their state energy offices are putting out ready-for-business signs to advanced nuclear energy developers under an initiative that taps into experts at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) to launch the Advanced Nuclear First Movers Initiative. The Initiative, directed by state energy offices, is led by state co-chairs New York, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Wyoming, and the participating states Louisiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
The initiative will work with experts at INL and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to help:
- Devise supportive market adoption policies.
- Define supply chain needs.
- Develop coordinated procurement options.
- Explore state-federal-private financing structures.
- Create public-private partnerships.
“By doing so, the initiative aims to reduce the cost of advanced nuclear projects and deliver more power to the electric grid, ultimately meeting growing power needs with firm, abundant power to ensure reliability, affordability and economic growth,” said NASEO President David Terry.
GAIN draws on the expertise at INL and across the national laboratory complex to support states at various stages of their nuclear energy readiness. GAIN has compiled a robust resources library that provides information on regulations and advanced technologies and tracks state legislation to inform what nuclear policies have been implemented.
“Eleven nuclear-ready states are ready to roll up their sleeves and dig into the details associated with deploying nuclear energy as a group,” said Christine King, director of GAIN. “Each of these states has been working on their individual strategies. In this group we expect to see partners emerge with common goals and complementary timelines. It’s very exciting.”
This new initiative builds on the work of the education-focused Advanced Nuclear State Collaborative, launched two years ago and supported by DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, as a platform for state energy offices and public utility commissions to share information and best practices. The collaborative is a partnership between the National Association of Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and NASEO.
Both efforts are designed to provide various levels of support on new nuclear energy development, said Kelsey Jones, a program director in NASEO’s electricity program.
“The NARUC-NASEO collaborative is designed to foster information sharing and collaboration among various stakeholders in the energy sector,” said Jones. “The collaborative is open to everyone, and currently, 32 states are participating.”
The First Movers initiative self-identified states ready to facilitate industry partnerships.
“The new Advanced Nuclear First Movers Initiative is critical to moving new nuclear projects forward across the country,” said Terry. “The state energy office-led initiative brings together interested states, industry, utilities, end-users and investors to develop innovative public-private partnership models, procurement strategies and supportive policies.”