West Virginia has been selected as a finalist to host a nuclear campus under a high-profile Department of Energy program Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) announced in a Tuesday press conference.
West Virginia is now the sixth state to be considered to host a nuclear lifecycle innovation campus, joining Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah, which were announced in late July.
A DOE Office of Nuclear Energy spokesperson told Exchange Monitor Wednesday that West Virginia and DOE signed a memorandum of understanding to explore hosting a nuclear energy campus, becoming the sixth potential host state.
The MOUs between the DOE and the states are not binding agreements and serve as a vehicle to further evaluate the states’ proposals. The spokesperson told the Monitor that DOE expects to sign host agreements for the campuses later this year. The Oklahoma Department of Commerce said that DOE is expected to only select three states.
Morrisey said during his press conference the state wanted in on the nuclear campus program and was in consistent contact with DOE. He said the opportunity would put West Virginia next to states with an extensive nuclear energy history and to compete in something he regarded as “transformational.”
“We are at the table with respect to attracting nuclear here in West Virginia, and we are well-positioned to work with the DOE and private sector for a potential hosting agreement,” Morrisey said. “We’re at the table, and we’re going to compete and you’re seeing in the energy, we’re not only competing, but we’re doing very very well.”
West Virginia does not currently have any operating nuclear facilities in its state as it had a moratorium in place for 20-plus years. However, in 2022, former governor and now U.S. Senator Jim Justice signed a law passed by the legislature to end the 26-year ban on building nuclear power plants in West Virginia.
The nuclear lifecycle innovation campus initiative is President Donald Trump administration’s effort to address the backend of the nuclear fuel cycle. While waste disposal is at the forefront of the program, the campus could also offer other capabilities, such as an advanced reactor deployment, fuel fabrication and uranium enrichment.