North Dakota lawmakers are looking for ways to engage communities across the state to gauge interest in hosting a future nuclear power plant.
No facilities have been proposed, nor has a site been selected. But members of an interim committee studying the feasibility of advanced nuclear energy said having early conversations with local communities could prepare the ground for future development.
“Without that success, I don’t think there’s a path forward,” said Sen. Dale Patten, R-Watford City, chair of the committee.
The Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee completed its work Wednesday but does not plan to sponsor legislation for the 2027 session. Committee members can introduce proposals on their own.
Patten said he plans to sponsor two bills, including a proposal related to the state’s ban on storing high-level radioactive waste. Patten plans to introduce an exception that would allow temporary on-site radioactive waste storage for nuclear power plants. A draft of the bill was not available Wednesday.
In addition, Patten said he plans to propose combining the interim committee with the High-Level Radioactive Waste Advisory Council to continue evaluating the feasibility of nuclear power.
Experts testifying in front of the committee emphasized the need for a bottom-up approach to determine which communities are open to nuclear power plants and to better educate the public on the industry, instead of a top-down directive from a company or government.
Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, said he plans to work with Patten on the bill to ensure the information gathered by the interim committee is presented to communities across the state. He wants to avoid an inflamed public debate down the road because the public was left in the dark.
“We should direct an entity to either go to every county or eight regions of our state to hold some sort of meeting,” Mathern said.
Ian Gilley, a farmer from Sheyenne who used to be a nuclear engineer in the U.S. Navy and has a master’s degree in the subject, urged lawmakers to continue their pursuit of nuclear power in the state.
“You can guarantee North Dakota reliable electricity for the next 100 years, and the community that you pick will be the most prosperous county in the state of North Dakota for the next 100 years,” Gilley said during the public comment period of the meeting. “These are incredible jobs and incredible economic powerhouses.”
What other states have done
Wyoming is a state that has already gone through much of this process. TerraPower, a company backed by Bill Gates, broke ground on the construction of a small modular reactor in the state earlier this year.
Wyoming State Sen. Cale Case said his state’s citizens have generally been supportive of nuclear energy.
“We view this as really protecting our future as an electricity exporter,” Case told North Dakota lawmakers.
TerraPower selected a site in Kemmerer after four communities had expressed interest in hosting the project, Wyoming Energy Futures CEO Rita Meyer, who has been involved in TerraPower’s community engagement process, told lawmakers.
“It needs to be good for the community,” Meyer said.
She said the biggest obstacles for the project have been the broken supply chain, such as obtaining nuclear fuel, and the lack of education on nuclear energy in recent decades.
Some states are working to change that through community engagement programs. Chase Blaeser, an analyst with Envoy Public Labs, said eight states have taken the lead: Wyoming, New York, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, Connecticut and Utah.
Utah’s effort is the most robust. Austin Blanch, Envoy Public Labs’ chief operating officer, said the state has committed to hosting at least one public engagement event in every county and has been advertising on billboards, radio and other forms of media.
“Utah has the first statewide nuclear energy education program of its kind in the country,” he said. “There’s a lot of partnership happening with chambers of commerce, economic development authorities, local elected officials, to get into the community and meet folks where they’re at.”
Nuclear education options
North Dakota State University is anticipating a growing demand for nuclear engineers, and is launching a new certificate program this fall to meet student demand.
Alan Kallmeyer, dean of NDSU’s College of Engineering, said the certificate program will focus on producing the nuclear engineers that companies like Xcel Energy, which operates nuclear power plants in Minnesota, are wanting to employ.
He said 23 students are enrolled in the first class despite its late addition to the semester, showing clear interest among engineering students.
Kallmeyer said a long-term goal is to add a second certificate program. The college is also exploring a three-year bachelor of applied science degree to produce future nuclear technicians.
Bismarck State College has an existing online associate degree program focused on training future nuclear technicians. Alicia Uhde, vice president for academic affairs, said the program emphasizes applied learning with a nuclear plant simulator.
“It’s an actual pressurized water reactor environment, and we are teaching our students how to start up, shutdown and to normally operate a nuclear plant,” Uhde said.
North Dakota Monitor reporter Jacob Orledge can be reached at jorledge@northdakotamonitor.com.
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