In a short turnaround, West Virginia formally removed itself from consideration for the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus program recently.
The state was selected to be the sixth state on a shortlist for the program on Sept. 8, but by Sept. 30, West Virginia withdrew itself after saying it would not be able to meet the requirements of the hosting agreement.
The Washington Post reported Monday that Jefferson County, which figured prominently in West Virginia’s nuclear campus plan, was caught off guard by its inclusion in the state nuclear program. The news was previously broken by West Virginia news outlets.
The West Virginia Office of Energy penned a letter to DOE Sept. 30, informing the department of its withdrawal.
“On behalf of the West Virginia Office of Energy (WVOE), thank you and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for considering West Virginia to host the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus (NLIC),” the West Virginia state office wrote.
The office continued, “While we are unable to execute the Hosting Agreement and commit fully to its requirements, West Virginia remains fully committed to supporting President Trump and Secretary Wright’s vision for a national nuclear renaissance. Please know that we stand ready and willing to support the DOE, its NLIC initiative and future NLIC recipients.”
According to West Virginia’s memorandum of understanding with DOE, made public by a public records request from West Virginia local news outlet Charleston Gazette-Mail, the state had an interest in bringing advanced nuclear technologies there, such as small modular reactors and nuclear fuel recycling. The state even had interest in interim storage facilities for spent fuel and selected four areas, one in Boone County, two in Jackson County and another in Jefferson, for its proposed campus.
