Governor Reynolds Appoints Task Force to Study Nuclear Energy in Iowa
Governor Kim Reynolds has appointed a task force to advise state leaders and lawmakers on the future of nuclear energy technology and infrastructure in Iowa.
Reynolds first announced plans for the group during her “Condition of the State” address to the legislature in January of last year, citing growing energy demands tied to technology and artificial intelligence.
“As the world becomes more dependent on technology and as A.I. becomes more prevalent, energy demand is dramatically increasing,” Reynolds said. “For starters, we need to take a serious look at nuclear energy. Its potential is amazing, but the investment is big and the horizon is long, so we need to get started.”
The governor says the task force will examine the process for granting construction and operating permits for nuclear facilities, along with workforce challenges involved in developing nuclear energy.
“They’ll also look at workforce challenges because recruiting nuclear engineers doesn’t happen overnight,” Reynolds said.
The task force will be led by Dr. Mark Nutt, director of Nuclear Energy Programs at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Nutt is an Iowa native and earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in nuclear engineering from Iowa State University.
Members of the task force also include executives from Alliant Energy, MidAmerican Energy and NextEra Energy, the state’s top utility regulator, and representatives from labor unions whose members would be involved in construction and maintenance of a nuclear power plant.
Other states, including Idaho and Delaware, have taken similar steps to explore the feasibility of small modular nuclear reactors as a way to meet rising electricity demand.
“It is the way we’re going to figure out how to fuel this economy,” Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham said in a recent interview. “Not only with advanced manufacturing we see coming back to the United States, but also when you see all these A.I. initiatives and data centers, it’s just something that we have to invest in.”
Iowa lawmakers have previously debated nuclear power. About 15 years ago, legislation that would have allowed state utility regulators to grant MidAmerican Energy a license for an underground nuclear power facility stalled in the Iowa Senate.
Several state lawmakers are serving on the task force, including Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh and State Representative David Young.
