Small nuclear reactors could be built in Massachusetts if Healey's energy bill passes
Gov. Maura Healey has unveiled new legislation that aims to save residents $10 billion on utility bills, in part by bringing more energy into the state. One of the ways she's proposing to do that is by putting nuclear power back on the table in Massachusetts.
The governor's bill would "allow for advanced nuclear development and deployment," her office said, and proposes consideration of small modular reactors "that could improve reliability, stabilize prices, and decarbonize region's power grid."
"We've got new, innovative, very safe ways to do nuclear," Healey said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Nuclear power in Massachusetts
If the power bill passes, it would repeal a 1982 law that requires any new nuclear facility in Massachusetts to get approval from a statewide ballot initiative. The administration said eight of 14 states that had similar nuclear moratoriums have since moved to fully or partially lift those limitations.
Any new nuclear facility would still be subject to a strict permitting process and oversight, the administration said.
"We're proposing that the state take a look at nuclear," Energy and Environmental Affairs Sec. Rebecca Tepper said. "We're not talking about sort of your old-school nuclear power plant. What we're talking about is cutting edge, small-scale nuclear technology."
The only nuclear power plant in Massachusetts, the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, shut down permanently in 2019 after 47 years of generating electricity.
The administration said the bill could save utility customers $10 billion over 10 years. Healey also stressed it's more important than ever for Massachusetts to build its own energy supply from different sources.
"The Trump administration has not been favorable toward wind," Healey said. "But we're moving ahead with everything. I know members of the Trump administration support nuclear, for example."
Small nuclear reactors
Last year, tech giants Amazon and Google said they are also pursuing nuclear technology to help power artificial intelligence, which requires a lot of energy.
The small modular reactors, which Google hopes to have online by 2030, generate about a third of the power that traditional reactors do, but they can be built faster and at a lower cost. They still produce hazardous waste, but instead of fuel roads they use fuel "pebbles" that are about the size of golf balls.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, there are more than 80 commercial small modular reactors being developed around the world.
At least one nuclear safety expert is skeptical that this new technology will work out.
"There's only one problem with small modular reactors: They don't really exist," George Washington University professor Sharon Squassoni said in a recent CBS Sunday Morning interview. "I think they're going to find out pretty quickly that it takes way too long and it's way too expensive."
