16 Nebraska sites studied as possible locations for a next-generation nuclear power plant (2024)

Citing a need to continue to expand and diversify sources of clean, reliable and affordable electricity to meet growing demand, the Nebraska Public Power District on Friday announced the 16 locations it plans to study as potential sites for a next-generation nuclear power plant in Nebraska.

The utility was awarded $1 million to carry out the study by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, which originally received an allocation of federal dollars from the Nebraska Legislature in 2022.

The first phase of the study was devoted to reviewing published data to help screen areas with geographic and infrastructure characteristics that would make them potential candidates for a small modular reactor, a new type of nuclear reactor under consideration around the world.

Utilities say these smaller reactors offer advantages over larger traditional reactors because they require less space, cost less to build and provide greater flexibility about where they can be built and how much electricity they can generate.

Critics, however, say they remain unproven and come with potential downsides, including potential high costs to build and no ready solutions for disposing of spent radioactive fuel.

Because they are so new, no such reactors have yet been built in the United States, although preliminary work has begun on one in western Wyoming.

K.C. Belitz, director of the economic development department, said during a media call that Nebraska officials recognize that moving forward with a project would take at least a decade.

“But this is an important first step, and taking the initiative now helps us think about how we can provide for the needs of the next generation of Nebraska families and Nebraska businesses.”

The state, he said, has seen an extraordinary surge in demand for electrical power, both from Nebraska companies looking to expand as well as businesses looking to locate in the state.

“Today, more than probably ever before, the availability of clean, dependable and affordable energy is really driving the economy,” he said.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said the state has had a tremendous week on that front. Federal and state officials Wednesday detailed the potential effect of the recent $307 million climate pollution reduction grant the Environmental Protection Agency awarded to Nebraska — the largest grant the federal agency has ever made specifically aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture.

On Wednesday, a company that makes sustainable aviation fuel announced that it has chosen Phelps County as the site of its first Midwest production facility, a plant that could cost as much as $5 billion and would use corn stalks and other agricultural byproducts as its feedstock. Another firm made a $1.5 billion commitment Friday that will be announced next week, he said.

“We have extraordinary ... movement because of our people, because of our extraordinary advantages within the bioeconomy, and all of those things are going to just take incredible amounts of electricity,” Pillen said.

The first phase of the economic development study considered areas across the state, including current generation sites.

The 16 sites identified to proceed to the next phase of the feasibility study are located in proximity to Beatrice, Brownville, Fremont, Grand Island, Hallam, Hastings, Holdrege, Kearney, Lexington, Nebraska City, Norfolk, Plattsmouth, Rushville, Sutherland, Valentine and Wauneta.

Tom Kent, Nebraska Public Power District president and CEO, said the next phase of the study will involve a more in-depth technical evaluation and engagement with communities listed as potentially feasible sites.

NPPD operates the Cooper Nuclear Station near Brownville, the state’s only nuclear power plant. The utility’s board voted in February to pursue relicensing the plant for another 20 years, which would allow the plant to operate until 2054.

The Omaha Public Power District used to operate the much smaller Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station near Blair, but closed it several years ago, citing costs. Construction at both Cooper and Fort Calhoun began in the 1960s, and they came online in the early 1970s.

Kent said Local support will be an important factor for communities to advance past the second phase. The utility already had received messages of support from Hastings and Grand Island. Communities that want to be added to the list can contact NPPD or the Economic Development Department. More information about the study is available at nextgennuclearne.com

The list eventually will be narrowed to between two and four sites, which likely will take a year or two, he said.

Meantime, the utility is working with state and federal officials to put it in a position where it could move quickly if the technology moves forward, Kent said. The first pilot plants are likely to be in operation by the end of the decade, which will yield more data about affordability and reliability. Commercial deployment at a large scale would not occur until the middle of the next decade.