Nuclear Politics in Missouri

The election this year has focused by and large on the economy and a fair number of important issues have fallen away. They haven’t ceased being important, of course, but politicians follow the interests of the public. One of the issues that has gotten less attention than in previous cycles is energy. In the 2008 contests, the candidates on both sides brought it up at the debates and even nuclear energy got a look (there wasn’t much distance between the candidates – nuclear energy was well supported across the ideological spectrum.)

But this year – not so much in the way of discussion and very little about nuclear energy. So let’s turn instead to what some of the local candidates are talking about.

Over in Missouri, incumbent state Representative Jeanie Riddle (R) and challenger Pam Murray (D) are running in the 20th district, an area that includes the Callaway facility, so nuclear energy is an issue in there.

Surely, there’s some room for disagreement:

Incumbent House Rep. Jeanie Riddle, a Mokane Republican, and Democrat Pam Murray of Holts Summit both support adding another nuclear reactor at the Callaway Energy Center but they disagree on how to do it.

State Rep. Jeanie Riddle

Well, I was expecting more heat, but let’s see what the candidates have in mind. First, Riddle, who supported legislation in support of Callaway last year that passed the House but stalled in the Senate, has developed an interest in attracting small reactor manufacturing to the state:

We want to be the first to do this,” Riddle said, “because it would give us an advantage to becoming a world exporter of this technology. One study shows 8,000 new direct jobs and 8,500 new indirect jobs. It would add $25 billion to Missouri’s economy if our state becomes the lead exporter of these new power plants.”

On her campaign web site, she says, “I want to promote alternative energy sources here and across the nation especially nuclear energy.” 

Pam Murray

Pam Murray is interested in ensuring the Public Service Commission is not left out of the loop in approving new nuclear build.

“More than half of the legislation was devoted to gutting the Missouri Public Service Commission by realigning their budget. It also attempted to limit the amount of regulatory oversight the PSC could apply to telecommunications. It was just a very bad bill,” Murray said.

“It is possible to write a bill that will get the power plant and also protect consumers,” Murray said.

This is the disagreement that writer Don Norfleet is highlighting. I think this is the bill in question, but it doesn’t seem to me overly harsh to the PSC:

An electrical corporation seeking an early site permit from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, upon beginning the permitting process, is required to seek permission from the Missouri Public Service Commission to recover from ratepayers up to $45 million of prudent expenditures on the permit process over a period not to exceed six years.

Murray is all for expansion at Callaway, but is disappointed that bills promoting it have not progressed further.

It is apparent we do not have the representation needed to get this important project completed for our communities! I will work night and day to develop a workable solution to make this a win-win situation for our local governments, our schools, our county and our state!

Exclamation points from original. Riddle and Murray do not seem far apart on the overall issue of nuclear energy in Missouri, but Murray feels she would be a better advocate for Callaway than Riddle. We may assume Riddle thinks the opposite. 

You can see Riddle’s campaign web site here and Murray’s here.

No endorsement here. That’s for Missourians in the 20th district to decide. The doings of nuclear energy are one issue among many they will be considering, some of them, I’m sure, a good deal more important to their daily lives.

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Mo. Governor, State Leaders Signal Continued Support For Potential Small Reactor Project

Vying for federal funds to support a potential small reactor demonstration project in the state, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) joined more than 20 business leaders, utility executives and state politicians Monday to reinforce his support for the project. Speaking from the University of Missouri campus, Gov. Nixon said that the potential project by Westinghouse Electric Co. and Ameren Missouri could “spark a new global industry” and be “transformational” for the Show-Me State.

PoliticMo has the highlights from the press conference:

“The returns of this industry are potentially tremendous,” Nixon said, noting impact on the construction, restaurant, and transportation infrastructure in the state. “When it comes to creating jobs, transforming our economy and building our future, projects just don’t get any bigger than this.”

Nixon said public sector funds — including over $450 million available from the federal government — will help get the emerging industry off the ground, and he said the stakeholders involved want that to happen in Missouri.

“This energy industry is going to emerge,” Nixon said. “The question is who is going to lead.”

To solidify his support, Gov. Nixon has created a new task force that will be charged with aligning the involved communities and ensuring that the infrastructure and other needs are in place if the time comes that they are required. The task force will be headed by Dan Atwill, Boone County’s presiding commissioner, and comprised of five other commissioners who represent the impacted counties.

Many state lawmakers, business leaders, labor unions and chambers of commerce have already expressed an interest in the project coming to the state. The Columbia Daily Tribune reports:

More than 500 letters supporting Missouri’s proposal have been submitted to the DOE [Department of Energy], not only from those directly affected but also from Missouri business and development leaders who see the potential, Nixon said. All of Missouri’s other electric power providers have expressed support as well.

Developing the project will stimulate the state’s economy by creating a large number of jobs, said Ameren Missouri’s President and Chief Executive Warner Baxter. He said that just one small reactor could provide more than 9,500 direct jobs and more than 9,000 indirect jobs, having a $3 million economic impact for the state.

“We’re bringing together national economic leaders, industry leaders, certainly business leaders are here, statewide legislators, as well as labor to come together to discuss a transformational opportunity to secure our state’s and our country’s energy and economic future,” he [Baxter] told the summit.

The state, which would add up to five small reactors at Ameren’s Callaway nuclear energy facility as part of its proposal, is among four finalists that are looking to receive a share of DOE’s $452 million for the public-private program to design, build and operate the next generation nuclear reactor. Other states where companies have expressed an interest in developing a small reactor as part of the cost-share program include South Carolina, Washington and Tennessee.

DOE is expected to announce the grant recipients by September.

For more information on small reactors, see NEI’s website.

Photo caption: Gov. Jay Nixon discusses efforts to develop next-generation small modular nuclear reactors in Missouri on Monday at the Bond Life Sciences Center on the University of Missouri campus. Credits: Don Shrubshell/Columbia Daily Tribune.

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Local, State and International Leaders Turn Their Attention to New Reactors, Both Big and Small

South Carolinian and Missourian leaders came forward this week to tout the economic benefits of new nuclear reactors, a sign of their growing support for further developing new plants in their states. The positive statements come at a time when the bidding continues to heat up for investment funds from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to participate in the first public-private partnership to develop and deploy small nuclear reactors (SMRs).

Today, S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley held a joint press conference with representatives from Holtec International, SCE&G and AREVA on how small reactor technology could bring additional jobs and manufacturing to the Southern state. The Aiken Standard reports:

Deployment of SMRs at SRS [Savannah River Site] would "offer South Carolina a unique opportunity to become a leader in the next generation of nuclear reactor manufacturing," according to a press release from the governor's office.

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions’ spokesperson Barbara Smoak applauded the governor’s response.

“We are really excited because we really do think South Carolina is where they [small reactors] should be deployed,” Smoak said. “We’re excited that the state and the governor are supporting us, too.”

The governor indicated that South Carolina “will fight for federal grants that could make the state a hub for the next-generation nuclear technology,” WRDW reports following the press conference.

In the Midwest on Sunday, Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune columnist Bob Roper also voiced his support for the Ameren Missouri and Westinghouse Electric partnership to develop small reactor technology at the Callaway nuclear plant site. Calling small reactors a “game changer” for the nuclear industry, Roper writes:

I have always believed one of the great attributes of nuclear energy is the simple concept of scale: the tremendous amount of energy that can be produced by small amounts of uranium as compared to what is required of other sources of energy. In the past, the problem was nuclear power had to be generated via huge, and hugely expensive, power plants. The SMRs change that, which is why this looks like that "game changer" to me. After all, someday cities might be able to get their power from SMRs, at least in part. And surely other potential uses abound.

Citing the economic benefits that would come from participating in the demonstration project in Missouri, including creating jobs and solidifying the manufacturing base, Roper states that developing the new technology:

Will be hugely beneficial to our nation, our state, our region and the University of Missouri if it all comes to fruition.

Elsewhere in new nuclear energy news, The State (S.C.) had a great article this week on the long-term benefits already being felt in the Palmetto State from the construction of two new Westinghouse Electric Co. AP1000 nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station:

Ramping up education and tapping into specialized job training are the surest ways for Fairfield County and its 24,000 residents to reap the economic, social and civic benefits of having one of the largest construction projects in the country in its backyard, area leaders say.

Not only will the projects help to build careers for local workers, it will also enhance the communities. The article continues:

In addition to job creation, the project will increase the tax base and could lead to more economic development, broadband availability, tourism promotion and added attention to existing businesses, Vickers [the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce president] said.

Meanwhile, further south in Georgia this week, DOE officials and the chairman of France’s Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission toured the Plant Vogtle site, where two other AP1000 reactors are under construction. The French Commissioner Bernard Bigot hailed that the construction project is “a symbol of America’s reawakened nuclear program.” The Augusta Chronicle reports:

“If something is going well here, all nations benefit,” said Bernard Bigot, who toured the Burke County site Monday with U.S. Energy Department officials. “And if something is wrong, everyone shares.”

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“The U.S. has been the first nation to move on with nuclear, and it has the largest fleet,” he said. “It is a time when you need to show to the public that we can move on.”

More information from Bigot’s visit, including video, is available on WRDW’s website.

Visit NEI’s website to learn more about new nuclear energy facilities.

Image: Bernard Bigot, chairman of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, led a delegation of French energy officials on a tour of Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle on Monday.

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Support Grows for Small Reactor Partnership in Missouri

Ameren Missouri and Westinghouse Electric Co. last week revealed a new partnership to compete for federal funds to develop and license a small reactor at the Callaway nuclear plant site in Missouri. The joint collaboration has the potential to open the doors for nuclear energy to play a more prominent role in the Midwestern state’s energy portfolio—a move that is being met with increasing enthusiasm by local leaders.

Given the previous challenges to new nuclear plant development in the state, it is exciting to see several notable people and institutions come forward to voice their support. Below is a sampling of some of the positive coverage we have come across so far.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon on the day of the announcement:

Designing, developing and commercializing next-generation nuclear technology will create good jobs for Missourians, expand our global exports, and ensure that Missouri has affordable, abundant, safe and reliable power for generations to come.  Missouri offers Westinghouse an outstanding nuclear operator and workforce, world-class research universities, a strong foothold in the nuclear industry, and a central location to develop a worldwide manufacturing base. As Governor, I'm fully committed to working with Westinghouse, Ameren Missouri and all our electric energy providers to take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity.

The Joplin (Mo.) Globe in an editorial today:

We believe that spurring safe, economical, close to load power generation, while at the same time creating tens of thousands of good paying, stable jobs is a far better use of taxpayer funds than throwing hundreds of millions at politically connected Solyndras.
We applaud Nixon, Westinghouse, Ameren and the remaining utilities — including Joplin’s own Empire District — for joining forces on a practical energy plan for all Missourians.

The Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune in an editorial posted yesterday:

Westinghouse and Ameren seem to be the best applicants in the United States for this new smaller unit approach, which has political as well as scientific advantages. Chances are good the grants will come through and the demonstration project at Callaway will be built, but it will take time — as long as 10 years before power will be generated. As long as progress is made, all hands should stay hitched to the wagon. Callaway II can provide a host of good jobs during construction and forever after as clean power is generated.

The Jefferson City (Mo.) News in a positive editorial yesterday:

If all goes right, it still might take until 2022 before any possible new reactors would come online in Missouri. But the potential for energy, jobs and development is impossible to ignore.

There's no such thing as a sure thing. But this proposal is a great prospect given the two businesses' community history, a solid base of technology education, and a stable, willing work force.

The same newspaper also featured an article on how the partnership will benefit the University of Missouri’s Nuclear Science and Engineering Institute, which almost dismantled earlier this year due to a decision by the graduate school’s dean.

Sudarshan Loyalka, a curators' professor of nuclear engineering, said Ameren and Westinghouse's partnership should emphasize the need to strengthen NSEI rather than trying to start a completely new program.

"We do have a strong nuclear engineering program, and the program should be strengthened further with this opportunity," he said.

MU Chancellor Brady Deaton said after the announcement that he was still learning about the university's role. "We will be involved in the very beginning in the research and educational aspects of this," he said.

Local lawmakers, including State Sen. Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia) and State Rep. Mary Still (D-Columbia), agreed that the university will play a major support role in the project and has the potential to expand its research capabilities and boost its national profile in the area of nuclear science. To this point, Sen. Schaefer said:

This could make them the No. 1 research entity in the world based on their role in designing and training on these units.

While many state lawmakers, labor unions, local chambers of commerce, and others have come forward to show their support, there are still others that are skeptical of the project, demonstrating the need for continued dialogue and education on project’s benefits. However, given that members of both sides of the political aisle and groups who traditionally oppose each other were able to stand united during last' week’s announcement, it shows promise that Missourians are not ready to close the door on nuclear energy.

Photo: Image of the Westinghouse Small Modular Reactor design. To learn more about the reactor, see Westinghouse’s website.

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Governor May Announce Plans for New Nuclear Reactor in Missouri

From the Associated Press:

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and energy officials are to announce plans Thursday that could include the development of another nuclear reactor in the state.

The Democratic governor's office called the plans significant for energy development and economic growth in Missouri. Nixon and officials from Ameren Missouri and Westinghouse Electric are scheduled to make the formal announcement Thursday afternoon at the Missouri Governor's Mansion in Jefferson City.

A Nixon spokesman declined to provide further details Wednesday before the planned announcement.

We'll keep an eye on this today.

UPDATE: Hold on a second. Ameren just pushed out the following press release clarifying the situation about today's announcement:

Recent press reports speculating that Ameren Missouri and Westinghouse Electric Company will be announcing a definitive plan to build a new nuclear reactor at Ameren Missouri's Callaway Energy Center site are inaccurate.

Details surrounding a potential transformative economic development opportunity for the state of Missouri will be provided during a press conference (see advisory below) at 1:30 pm today.

Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for more than a century, and our electric rates are among the lowest in the nation. We serve 1.2 million electric and 126,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. Our mission is to meet their energy needs in a safe, reliable, efficient and environmentally responsible manner. Our service area covers 63 counties and more than 500 towns, including the greater St. Louis area. For more information, visit AmerenMissouri.com.

Advisory: Gov. Nixon, Ameren Missouri, Westinghouse, to make major announcement regarding energy, economic growth in Missouri

On Thursday, April 19, Gov. Jay Nixon will join senior executives from Westinghouse Electric Corporation and Ameren Missouri for a major announcement about energy development and economic growth in Missouri. This transformative announcement will take place at 1:30 p.m. on the lawn of the Missouri Governor's Mansion, 100 Madison St., Jefferson City.

Again, we'll keep an eye on things.

LATE UPDATE: Here's the official word from Westinghouse:

Westinghouse Electric Company and Ameren Missouri have entered into an agreement to respond collaboratively to the United States Department of Energy (DOE) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for developing and licensing the Westinghouse Small Modular Reactor (SMR).

Under the terms of the agreement, Ameren Missouri will become part of and co-chair a Westinghouse-led Utility Participation Group (UPG) made up of Missouri utilities, non-Missouri utilities and industrial firms interested in seeking the DOE funds to develop and license the Westinghouse SMR technology, which includes a phased economic development approach associated with the SMR program for the State of Missouri.

Upon securing DOE support, Westinghouse and Ameren Missouri will then work collectively to seek Design Certification of the Westinghouse SMR and a combined construction and operating license with the U.S. NRC for the Westinghouse SMR at Ameren Missouri's Callaway site.

Click here for more from our friends at Ameren Missouri.

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