The Senate Budget Committee passed legislation sponsored by state Sen. John Burzichelli that would direct the state Board of Public Utilities to study the feasibility of developing advanced reactors statewide.
“Advanced reactors” are nuclear reactors with significant improvements such as additional safety features, lower waste, and increased efficiency and performance when compared with reactors operating in 2020.
“One of the more effective ways of countering higher utility costs is the expansion of sources of power,” said Senator Burzichelli (D-Cumberland/Gloucester/Salem). “Relying on a limited number of energy providers puts ratepayers at the mercy of fluctuations in the availability and expense of the energy they provide. We should undertake a thorough study to determine if investments in nuclear power would help hold down long-term utility costs and improve energy security in New Jersey.”
The bill, S-4689, would direct the BPU to work in consultation with the Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to conduct a study and prepare a report to the Governor and the Legislature on the feasibility of potential development, due within 18 months of the bill’s enactment.
Over the course of the study, the BPU would be required to:
- Determine suitable locations for deploying advanced reactors;
- Consult the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for regulatory and permitting requirements;
- Examine the economic viability and potential cost-saving and funding options for advanced reactors;
- Consider safety precautions and environmental impacts;
- Evaluate the ability to integrate advanced reactors with existing energy infrastructure; and
- Conduct a minimum of three public stakeholder meetings.
At the end of the 18 months, the BPU would be required to provide recommendations for a state program for deploying advanced reactors in the form of a report and subsequently publish its findings on its website.
The online news outlet The Jersey Vindicator reported in June that Camden-based Holtec International had begun informal talks with state officials that could make the Jersey Shore home to some of America’s first advanced nuclear reactors.
The news organization said Patrick O’Brien, the company’s lead lobbyist, said work on two of his company’s 320-megawatt SMRs, or small modular reactors, could begin as early as 2031 at the site of the shuttered Oyster Creek Nuclear Generation site in Lacey Township just off Barnegat Bay.
New Jersey has operating nuclear generating stations in Salem County – the Salem and Hope Creek Generating Stations. The Oyster Creek Generating Station ceased operation on Sept. 17, 2018. It is now in the process of being decommissioned.
