Indiana lawmakers are advancing a plan to bring nuclear energy to the state.
House Bill 1007 would establish a framework for investing in advanced nuclear technology.
Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, chair of the House Utilities, Energy, and Telecommunications Committee, authored the bill after state energy officials warned of power shortage risks without new energy sources.
“If we are going to be telling the world we’re going to onshore a lot of things that have been taken offshore, we’ve got to provide for it,” Soliday contended. “We have to provide the infrastructure, and this is happening rapidly.”
Critics cautioned the bill could raise electric bills for residents. Building nuclear reactors is costly, with estimates ranging from $2 billion to $3 billion per reactor. The bill failed to pass out of committee, but is set for a vote next week. It would allow utility companies to recover development costs through rate increases.
Under the proposal, utilities would need to justify development costs to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission before passing them on to customers.
Indiana Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources Suzanne Jaworoski said the bill is the foundation to bring much needed energy generation to the state.
“It attracts advanced nuclear energy which is the future of energy,” Jaworoski asserted. “It is sustainable. It is affordable. It is reliable. It is resilient. It is environmentally sound.”
Lawmakers are debating whether the long-term benefits of nuclear energy outweigh the financial burden it may place on Hoosiers. For now, the debate over Indiana’s energy future continues.
3 comments
[…] ¶ “Indiana Debates Nuclear Energy For Power Grid” • Indiana lawmakers are advancing a plan to bring nuclear energy to the state. House Bill 1007 would establish a framework for investing in advanced nuclear technology. Critics cautioned the bill could raise electric bills for residents. The bill has failed to pass out of committee, but is set for another vote. [95.3 MNC] […]
The same people criticizing this for making energy more expensive had zero issues dumping loads of money down the solar/wind sinkhole. Their opinions are less than worthless.
GO NUCLEAR GO NOW!!! I’d rather pay for something that will last and work any of this green steal stuff that’s been shoved down our throats. Nuclear energy is the true green energy.