Several state governors have teamed up on a coordinated approach to speed development of advanced nuclear projects.
Working through the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), 11 states have issued a request for information (RFI) to create a scalable and rapid approach to deploying new nuclear reactors.
The deadline for responding to the Advanced Nuclear First Mover Initiative is now Friday Oct. 17 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. The deadline was extended from its original deadline of Oct. 10, according to the initiative’s website.
The purpose of the Advanced Nuclear First Mover Initiative is to find opportunities to reduce the financial and technological risk, to form private partnerships and streamline federal permitting, according to a NASEO Feb. 5 press release.
The RFI has been put out to help the first mover states to “understand what key points such a framework for developing an orderbook should consider”, according to the solicitation.
The solicitation is open to all interested stakeholders such as universities, utilities and advanced technology developers.
According to the solicitation, the states are looking for information on three types of nuclear reactors: AP1000s, small modular reactors (SMRs) for power generation and SMRs for thermal generation.
The 11 states involved with the strategy are Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Tennessee and Wyoming, who were named co-chairs of the effort. Louisiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia were tapped as participating states.
Texas is listed as an observer state but not as a participating one.
Along with NASEO, the governors are also collaborating with the Department of Energy ‘s Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN), Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Nuclear Regulatory Commission.