Report Details Texas' Plan to Attract New Fleet of Advanced Nuclear Power Plants - 2024

Nuclear Power Industry

Houston reported in mid-November 2024 that a 78-page report was recently issued that details state plans to attract a fleet of 'next generation' nuclear power plants to Texas. In 2023, Gov. Greg Abbott asked the Texas Advanced Nuclear Reactor Working Group to study the issue and make recommendations.



The task force's report includes seven proposals that aim to expand Texas's nuclear industry. In a key recommendation, the group says Texas should offer energy companies low-interest loans that cover nuclear power plants' up-front construction costs. 

“Texas is the energy capital of the world, and we are ready to be No. 1 in advanced nuclear power,” Abbott said in a statement Monday. 

The report focuses on so-called "advanced nuclear reactors," an umbrella term for nuclear power generators that leverage new technology and operate differently from existing plants. Generally, advanced nuclear reactors are smaller, more efficient and safer than their 50-year-old ancestors. 

Some scientists and startup companies are currently developing modular reactors, meaning their parts would be pre-fabricated and standardized. Mass production of uniform components would dramatically reduce construction times and could reduce cost, the primary barrier to nuclear construction. 
State lawmakers want the new reactors in Texas, plus the supply chain links necessary to build them. 

Data centers, industrial manufacturers, and other companies that require gigawatts of electricity to operate could house small nuclear reactors, on-site. Such an arrangement would ensure those facilities continue to operate during inclement weather, without straining the power grid Texas homeowners rely on for their electricity. 

The report suggests lawmakers should create a new office within state government that can implement the strategy. A permitting czar within the authority would be a single point of contact for companies seeking regulatory approval. Texas should also develop a workforce development program, the report recommends, where students could learn the technical and highly-specialized skills needed for nuclear power plant construction. 

The nuclear loan program would mirror the Texas Energy Fund, which the legislature created to encourage construction of natural gas-fueled power plants. Lawmakers could also create a direct grant cost-sharing fund for energy companies. 
 
Texas should also engage in a public outreach campaign to educate residents on advanced nuclear reactor's benefits and safety, the report says. 

For additional information on Nuclear Power, see (here). On SMRs (here).

Also see the article by the Texas Tribune (here)


For the rest of the story in greater detail, Foxhall reported that small nuclear reactors may be coming to Texas, boosted by interest from Gov. Abbott A nuclear power plant hasn’t been built in Texas in decades because of cost and public fears of a major accident. Now the governor wants to find out if smaller reactors could meet the state’s growing need for on-demand power.