State lawmakers explore bringing small nuclear reactors to Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, AR (KATV) — State lawmakers have hired a firm to conduct a feasibility study on the potential construction of new, high-tech nuclear power plants in Arkansas—small modular reactors, or SMRs—which could be a solution to the state’s growing energy needs.

“We’re closing down two coal plants. We have to replace that with something… We need another base load fuel, and in my mind, that has to be nuclear,” said State Rep. Jack Ladyman, (R) District 32.”

SMRs generate up to 300 megawatts—about one third the power of traditional nuclear power plants—but, as their name suggests, have a smaller footprint. They are able to be constructed in factories, then transported to and assembled on site. Often having more advanced cooling systems, SMRs may also be at less risk of meltdowns.

None have been built in the U.S. yet, though more and more states are pursuing them as a new energy source.

Ladyman has led the charge among Arkansas lawmakers in laying the groundwork to bring SMRs to the state.

The state’s Joint Energy Committee, of which Ladyman is a member, recently hired a nuclear energy firm, Excel Services Corporation, to conduct a study on how Arkansas might adopt emerging and promising SMR technology. Their contract is worth up to $305,000 and the feasibility study is expected within 10 months.

“It’ll give us all the information we need to actually approve a small modular reactor in Arkansas,” Ladyman told KATV.

“So, what we’ve asked them to do [is] study the new designs—there’s multiple types of SMRs. So, tell us which is the optimal design,” he said. “What siting criteria should we have? What are the safety requirements? Give us some financials on is this going to be profitable? Is it going to be a good thing for the state financially?”

Pope County, home of Arkansas Nuclear One, is seen by many as a natural fit for expanded nuclear power generation.

Pope County Judge Ben Cross has been keeping a close eye on renewed conversations at the State Capitol regarding nuclear energy.

“You’ve got generations upon generations that have worked at Arkansas Nuclear One. And so we don’t fear nuclear power in Pope County—we welcome it,” Cross told KATV. “And so, it only makes sense that we would be the center point for the state for an expansion of nuclear power.”

But there are some obstacles.

Ladyman, who has been courting different nuclear energy companies as potential private partners for Arkansas, says the state also needs federal funding to support its atomic aspirations.

He also says he wishes Arkansas’ executive branch was more supportive of the push for nuclear power. Other states, like Tennessee, are moving fast on SMRs—and Ladyman doesn’t want Arkansas to miss the boat.

“If we’re not in the game here in Arkansas, we’re not gonna be able to maintain our low energy cost and our high availability,” he told KATV.