(Radio Iowa) – Small modular nuclear reactors are scheduled to be built in Texas and Wyoming in the next decade and Representative Hans Wilz) of Ottumwa says Iowa lawmakers should come up with some state guidelines for this new class of reactors that are smaller, less costly to build and have fewer risks.
“We’re not the only ones trying to do this,” Wilz said, “so we need to look at all the components of what’s going to make applications work the best, what’s going to easiest entry for us to get into.” Wilz says it may be wise to build small nuclear reactors beside already existing power plants. “Where does the infrastructure exist and what’s coming down the road?” Wilz said. For example, Wilz says building a small nuclear reactor near projects are already planned to upgrade transmission lines.
And Wilz is hoping wherever a reactor gets built spawns related businesses.”If we’re going to bring this industry to Iowa, which I think we should, then we need to bring all components of that industry to Iowa,” Wilz said. “…When you build a Menard’s, there’s three or four other outlying strip malls that come with it. Well, building this new nuclear industry, we knew back in the day kind of what followed it, but we don’t know what that is today. So what other things are going to happen, what other dominoes are going to fall with us putting in nuclear facilities?”
Governor Reynolds appointed a Nuclear Energy Task Force in January and Wilz is a member of the group. The task force is scheduled to have its third meeting this (Monday) morning in Des Moines. The governor has asked the group to produce a final report by early July.
