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     Glenn Youngkin is the governor of Virginia. Last Monday, Youngkin announced his 2022 Virginia Energy Plan. He said that all forms of energy should be embraced. However, he added that the deadline for having all energy generated from renewable sources by 2050 is unrealistic and too expensive. That was the target date for former Governor Ralph Northam’s Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) goal of one hundred percent zero-carbon energy generation. Youngkin prefers a measured approach with intermediate steps and utilizing all forms of energy.
     Youngkin said, “We must reject the mindset that it is ‘either/or’ and embrace the reality that it is ‘both/and.’ In fact, the only way to confidently move towards a reliable, affordable and clean energy future in Virginia is to go all-in on innovation in nuclear, carbon capture, and new technology like hydrogen generation, along with building on our leadership in offshore wind and solar.”
     Youngkin’s Plan recommends that the commonwealth make strategic investments in innovative, emerging technologies such as hydrogen, carbon capture, storage and utilization, and small modular reactors (SMR). The Plan contains funding to pursue the goal of deploying a commercial SMR in Southwest Virginia within ten years.
     A SMR is an advanced nuclear reactor that generates three hundred or less megawatts of electricity. This is about one third of the output of current full scale commercial nuclear power reactors. SMRs are promoted as being safer and much smaller that convention power reactors. The intention is to construct SMRs in a factory in order to benefit from economies of scale and improved quality control. The modules for a SMR would be shipped to the site and installed. There are studies that suggest that although SMRs are much smaller than conventional power reactors, they would wind up producing more dangerous radioactive waste than a conventional power reactor per unit of power generated.
     The goal of the Plan is for Southwest Virginia to become the nation’s leader in the development and deployment of SMRs. The Plan advocates for the development of the first commercial SMR in the U.S. in Southwest Virginia. It also calls for the development of spent nuclear fuel recycling technologies that offer the promise of a zero-carbon emission system with minimal nuclear waste and a closed-loop supply chain. The state will work with government, industry and academic partners to “develop a plan to deploy a commercial small modular nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia within 10 years.”
     No specific site has yet been chosen for the SMR. Delegate James W. Morefield is the Republican representative for Tazewell County. He has some reservations about SMRs. He said, “Small nuclear reactors are promising but a great deal of research must be conducted and other factors such as environmental and safety issues must be strongly considered.  and other countries around the world focused heavily on nuclear and renewable energy. They have experienced the dangers of nuclear energy and the expense of renewable energy with several of them now focusing on building new coal-fired power plants.”
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