Louisiana state officials have released a new Nuclear Strategic Framework, this week and also confirmed the state’s interest in the Department of Energy’s lifecycle hubs program.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) announced the new state initiative at the CERAWeek event in Houston on Tuesday. Louisiana also received $45 million in federal funding for the Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) initiative, according to a Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy press release.
The new framework is meant to provide a roadmap to grow Louisiana’s nuclear fleet, including supply chain and workforce. The strategy focuses on four areas: nuclear manufacturing, expanding nuclear generation, uranium fuel conversion and uranium fuel enrichment capabilities.
Along with the framework, it also establishes a coordinated approach across state agencies.
Louisiana has two operating nuclear plants, River Bend Nuclear Generating Station in St. Francisville, La. and Waterford 3 Steam Electric Station in Killona, La., that produces around 15% of the state’s electricity.
Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy spokesperson Patrick Courreges told Exchange Monitor in a Thursday emailed statement that the state has been in contact with the Department of Energy regarding the nuclear lifecycle hubs.
DOE’s solicitation, published Jan. 28, seeks to gauge states’ interest in hosting a nuclear lifecycle campus that could include fuel fabrication, uranium enrichment and waste disposal. Responses to the request for information (RFI) are due April 1.
“We are definitely making the case that the nuclear lifecycle program would be a strong fit for our State and that it clearly aligns well with our Nuclear Strategic Framework, making this a good week for Louisiana’s nuclear framework and RFI [request for information] response to be released,” Courreges said.
The state is in the process of submitting its RFI response this week, Courreges said.
“In alignment with President Trump’s focus on strengthening American energy security and dominance, Louisiana is stepping forward to deliver,” Landry said in the release. “From advancing nuclear development to scaling new technologies, we have the resources, the infrastructure and the workforce to power America’s future while creating opportunity here at home.”
Louisiana will hold a nuclear industry summit at Windsor Court in New Orleans between April 27 to 29. The summit will provide a platform to discuss Louisiana’s new nuclear strategy and engage new partners for opportunities across the nuclear supply chain, according to the release.
For the FUEL initiative, the renewal will be a three-year extension and represents the next phase of a $160 million, 10-year investment. FUEL is a research partnership, led by the Louisiana State University, between higher education institutes, government and industry that aims to enable energy expansion in Louisiana.
The initiative is under the National Science Foundation’s regional innovation engines.
“The renewal of NSF’s investment in FUEL reinforces Louisiana’s growing role as a hub for energy innovation with global reach,” said Louisiana Economic Development Chief Innovation Officer Josh Fleig in a FUEL Tuesday press release. “This collaborative innovation ecosystem positions Louisiana to compete on a global stage while creating new opportunities for businesses, entrepreneurs, and workers across the state.”