Ohio-based American Electric Power (AEP) is seeking Department of Energy financial support to explore small modular reactor (SMR) projects in Indiana and Virginia.
AEP hopes to secure DOE grant money for early site permits through the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in Spencer County, Ind., as well as Campbell County, Va., the company said in a Jan. 17 press release.
The company is pursuing potential SMR siting on land owned by a couple of its regulated utilities, Indiana-Michigan Power and Appalachian Power. The company is seeking a combined $85 million in DOE grant money and says actual operation of the small reactors is probably a decade away.
The Indiana project is part of a grant funding partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy.
Appalachian Power has applied under a separate grant category, the company said in the press release. “No technology provider has been identified at this time,” AEP said in the release. “Appalachian Power continues to evaluate technology providers to determine what is commercially viable at the site and aligns with Virginia’s energy needs.”
