Governor Youngkin still promoting effectiveness of nuclear power
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VIRGINIA (WJHL) – Last month, Virginia Governor Youngkin said Southwest Virginia will likely not be the first location for small modular reactors (SMR) in the Commonwealth. However, he plans to still explore developing an SMR somewhere in Virginia.
Youngkin said Virginians need to embrace an all-of-the-above approach to power and energy.
“We’re outgrowing our power supply by a substantial amount,” Youngkin said. “And therefore, when we embrace all forms of power generation, it helps us meet the growing demands across the commonwealth. That includes, of course, natural gas and clean burning coal. It also includes wind and solar.”
Youngkin also said that includes embracing innovation with nuclear power.
“And one of those innovations in addition to hydrogen and carbon capture is small modular reactors which have been proven to be safe, have been proven to be effective because of course, our nuclear Navy embraces them and has for decades,” Youngkin said.
Although he said it’s still early, they’re still exploring places for a site.
“It’s still early days, but I think as a Commonwealth, it would be a very important step for us to establish this lower cost, highly reliable and increasingly clean element of our energy supply,” Youngkin said.
“We don’t know where that will go. But I do think that one of the keys is to be very transparent with all of the localities that have raised some concerns.”
The Virginia Department of Energy Director has been holding educational sessions across Southwest Virginia, including last month in Big Stone Gap.
The Clinch Coalition’s SWVA Nuclear Watch group was in attendance. Their president, Sharon Fisher, said she doesn’t believe the governor’s office has been transparent.
She sent News Channel 11 the following statement:
“Transparency? The Governor and his minions have been anything but transparent. The SWVA Nuclear Watch, a grassroots movement resisting putting nuclear reactors here, have been asking for transparency for 18 months. We have been told public involvement in premature, will come later, all the while announcing one energy project after another.
Small Modular Nuclear Reactors are safe? Comparing SMRs to those in nuclear submarines is comparing apples to oranges. If the same technology, why has the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission only given ONE SMR design permit to ONE company, NuScale, which after getting billions in taxpayer dollars had a financial collapse?
The need for power? It is for data centers! Virginia has more than any other place in the world! Northern Virginia is inundated with them so they are pushing them out to rural areas.
Cost Effective? Nuclear energy is the most expensive way to produce electricity.
All of the above? Some are promoting SMRs as clean energy, not contributing to carbon emissions which are causing climate change. The Governor’s “all of the above” is contributing to climate change. He is trying to get Virginia to withdraw from a regional carbon-reduction pact.
And they refuse to discuss creating and storing nuclear radioactive waste here.
We will be presenting over the next few days our detailed response to the Governor on our Facebook page, SWVA Nuclear Watch.“
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