AUBURN – Auburn City Administrator Crystal  Dunekacke grew up with her father working at the Cooper Nuclear Station in Brownville and was among dozens of residents who gathered Wednesday to give a rousing reception for the next generation nuclear study.

When she learned that Auburn would be the first stop for Nebraska Public Power District and its tour of 16 finalist communities for nuclear expansion, she was reminded of the benefits the nuclear plant provided in terms of jobs and community vigor over the past 50  years.

Dunekacke: “Prior to the event we sent out invitations to elected officials, to people on different boards and different community groups and then I walked through downtown businesses this week as well reminding people about the event. People were excited, lots of great questions, lots of enthusiasm and I think the turnout for tonight’s event demonstrates that people are excited to learn more and to bring this opportunity to our community.”

NPPD started with 32 communities in phase one of its study and is scheduling visits to 16 finalists to gauge community support.

Nicole Sedlacek of NPPD’s economic development services said it’s fitting to start the tour near the utility’s largest, single source of carbon-free energy.

Sedlacek: “We do have a growing demand for energy, so, as Nebraska Public Power District looks to add to our generation fleet with new resources, we believe exploring this next generation of nuclear and small modular reactors. The advancements that have come with that are really a great opportunity to explore the feasibility of that.”

NPPD’s Director of Nuclear Oversight Dan Buman said the advantages of small nuclear reactors include passive safety systems and the flexibility to add reactors as demand grows.

Buman: “The other big advantage is that they are constructed under factory conditions, so they are basically modular designed, shipped out to the site and basically assembled on site, so we’re not having to build from the ground up.”

He said the site selection study positions Nebraska to move forward while monitoring the technology of various small module nuclear plants coming online in North America over the next three years.

Buman: “There are currently, across North America, 30 different demonstration projects that are underway. They are building these. They have a lot of promise, but there has been nothing that has been demonstrated  yet. They are scheduled to come online in 2028, 2029 and 2030. We’re trying to position ourselves to be ready.”

He said an early start is important because of the time it takes  get an operating license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

NPPD already has a positive example with Cooper Nuclear Station and is monitoring the technology modals as they come online.

 

Cooper has been safely operating and generating carbon-free electricity for over 50 years. They’ve done it very safely, they’ve done it through a lot of different adverse conditions, flooding, high water, low water level, cold weather it’s capable of being very, very resilient. It meets NPPD’s needs for carbon, for resiliency. All of that factors in. NPPD is trying to make sure we maintain a diverse portfolio as we go forward. There are only 21 utilities in the United States that currently operate a nuclear power plant. That gives us a tremendous strategic value.”

Small modular nuclear reactors (SMR), with output ranges from 20 to 300 megawatts of electricity, have advantages over large sites like the Cooper Nuclear Station because

Reactors can be added to a site as demand grows and major components can be factory-built and transported to a site allowing for faster assembly on site.

Because of their smaller size, passive safety features can be used, including circulation cooling and gravity-fed systems that can work even if an external power source is lost.

SMRs cost less than large reactors, have shorter construction time and are easier to finance because of the smaller investment per unit.

Counties with extensive grids or infrastructure can deploy SMRs to improve energy security.

NPPD and 1898 started with 32 communities in phase 1 of the study. They are now down to the top 16 and expect to narrow it down to four by the end of the year.

Site selectors say they are staying “technology agnostic” and will wait to see what technologies make leaps and bounds advancements over other technologies.

Since the general parameters for building a nuclear plant, such as space, transmission and favorable site development characteristics, are the same across various technologies, Nebraska can get a jump on the licensing process with the site selection process.

The sites will be narrowed down to four at the end of phase 2 going into 2026.

If NPPD or OPPD wants to pursue development of a reactor, at that point they will engage the NRC for an early site permit. Then the utility will start to narrow down technologies, but still don’t have to make a final technology decision until it applies for an operating license.

Communities that score high during phase 2, but do not make the top 4, may still be considered for nuclear build-outs in the near future.