With demand for electricity increasing exponentially and costs for residents and businesses soaring, nuclear energy is regaining popularity as a highly reliable, carbon-free energy source. While the upfront capital costs for traditional light-water reactors remain prohibitively expensive, Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, or “SMRs,” present an eminently more affordable option on account of their compact size and faster on-site construction timelines.

Under current law, operators of nuclear energy facilities are required to pay annual fees to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on a per site basis. These requirements were developed with traditional light-water reactors in mind, where one site has multiple large reactors. Because SMRs are typically deployed on multiple sites with a limited number of smaller reactors at each site, these fee structures are an insurmountable barrier to SMR development in Pennsylvania.

Our legislation will authorize DEP to adjust the current fee structure to account for SMRs in the future, removing an obstacle to investment in SMR technology. Although, SMRs are still a few years away from large-scale deployment, this legislation will remove obstacles now so that we are poised to benefit when the technology is ready.

Eight other states have recently taken legislative action to encourage nuclear development, and it is time for us to do the same. This legislation ensures that Pennsylvania can attract the innovation and investment needed to support a thriving, job creating economy and maintain our competitive advantage as a national energy leader.

Please join us in taking the next step toward the deployment of SMR technology in Pennsylvania by co-sponsoring this important legislation.