With multiple nuclear facilities being built in the Bluegrass State, the Kentucky Public Service Commission has scheduled a series of public information meetings to hear what Kentuckians have to say about the industry’s potential impacts on their communities.
The PSC, which enforces state regulations for many Kentucky utilities, has been tasked with overseeing the application process for the siting and building of nuclear energy facilities.
Before it begins the process though, the commission wants to hear from citizens, businesses, academics and local officials about their concerns and ideas surrounding nuclear energy.
“Recent technological advances have made nuclear energy potentially more affordable and attainable,” Kentucky PSC Chair Angie Hatton said in the release announcing the meetings. “However, the technology is still very expensive, and we want to make sure we examine all angles of this potential power source, including its impact on ratepayers, electric grid reliability, our environment, economic development and our workforce in Kentucky as we explore our options.”
Over the next three months, the PSC will hold six meetings across the state:
- Feb. 26 at Morehead State University’s Ronald G. Eaglin Space Science Center
- March 17 at the University of Louisville’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering’s Student Success & Research Building
- March 25 at Bluegrass Community and Technical College’s Newtown Campus in Lexington
- April 1 at Western Kentucky Community & Technical College’s Emerging Technology Center in Paducah
- April 6 at Northern Kentucky University’s Budig Theatre in Highland Heights
- April 8 at Western Kentucky University’s Houchens Industries Auditorium in Bowling Green
More information about the meetings can be found in the PSC’s release.
Though no nuclear power is currently generated in Kentucky, the state has taken large strides with regards to the industry in recent years. Lawmakers have been laying the groundwork for nuclear projects in the state since 2017, when the state’s moratorium on nuclear projects ended.
Now, two uranium enrichment facilities are being developed outside of Paducah.
General Matter, a company backed by billionaire and Trump ally Peter Thiel, has leased land to build an enrichment facility on the grounds of the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, which shuttered in 2013. Nearby, Global Laser Enrichment plans to construct the world’s first commercial-scale facility to enrich uranium using laser technology.
