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Nuclear power gets a boost under legislation approved by the General Assembly and awaiting Gov. Josh Shapiro's likely signature.
House Bill 2017 lays the groundwork for the introduction of small nuclear reactors in Pennsylvania. Shapiro includes small nuclear reactors as a favored energy source under his Lightning plan to boost energy production to meet the increased demands from data centers and other artificial intelligence infrastructure.
HB2017 sponsored by Rep. Jose Giral, D-Philadelphia, gives the state Department of Environmental Protection authority to set state fees for small modular reactors lower than charged for the large light-water reactors the public is familiar with.
HB2017, approved 202-0 by the House and 46-4 by the Senate last Sunday, marks a turnaround for nuclear power in Pennsylvania.
The legislation paves the way for the first new nuclear reactors, albeit smaller ones, since the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island nuclear plant near Harrisburg.
Bill supporters said the size of small reactors enables them to be built in factories rather than on-site. They can be transported to areas where it's difficult to build a traditional reactor, they added.
They suggest small reactors are more efficient than traditional reactors.
The Senate added an amendment for micro nuclear reactors sponsored by Sen. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster, to HB2017.
Microreactors have a capacity of 100 megawatts. Small reactors have a capacity of 400 megawatts.
Fee structure
HB2017 creates a two-tiered fee system for traditional large nuclear plants that often have multiple reactors at a site and small nuclear reactors that could be deployed at multiple sites.
Giral said the current fee structure developed on a per-site basis is an "insurmountable barrier" for small nuclear reactors. Small reactors require more sites to meet energy demand.
The bill updates the fee structure to make it more affordable to build small reactors, he said.
The state Environmental Quality Board would set specific fees for small and micro reactors under the bill. The fees cover the cost of environmental monitoring, oversight and decommissioning of radioactive material.
Small and micro nuclear reactors are moving beyond the concept stage in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania State University and Westinghouse are partners in launching the new technology.
Westinghouse is developing a micro nuclear reactor while Penn State is building a new research facility for one.