Use of the Department of Energy’s Nevada National Security Site for carbon-free energy will not include small modular reactors, a local manager for DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration, told a federal advisory panel Wednesday.
“Small modular reactors are not an option” for the Nevada site, “David Bowman, manager of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Nevada office, told DOE’s Site-Specific Advisory Board for the Nevada Site during a meeting that was webcast.
Bowman did not elaborate.
DOE is targeting solar-powered projects for carbon-free electricity production at the site in the Nevada desert, about 65 miles outside of Las Vegas, Bowman added.
A “roundtable” discussion was held Tuesday on clean energy projects at the Nevada National Security Site, which included stakeholder tribes, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Air Force, Bowman said.
Tribal representatives said they want continuous involvement in the approval process for such projects and want to ensure tribal lands and environment are protected, Bowman said. The Bureau of Land Management, a major landholder in the region, voiced concern about water conservation and protection of rare species such as the desert tortoise, Bowman said.
The U.S. Air Force, which is a neighbor to the Nevada National Security Site, wants to ensure that equipment used in power development does not interfere with its military gear, Bowman said.
Also, it was noted at the meeting that NNSA land at the Nevada site is formally reserved for national defense use and attorneys in Washington, D.C., are addressing the legal issue, Bowman said.
Meanwhile, DOE has scheduled a Feb. 13 meeting in Las Vegas for developers interested in DOE’s Cleanup to Clean Energy program, Bowman said.
