Nuclear

Bill would allow expansion at Millstone nuclear power plant

Connecticut state legislators passed a bill this spring that exempts the state’s sole nuclear power facility from a construction moratorium.

Dominion Energy has no current plans for an SMR at the site.

Connecticut state legislators passed a bill that would exempt the state’s sole nuclear power facility from a construction moratorium.

The measure would allow the option of on-site expansion at Dominion’s Millstone Nuclear Power Station in Waterford, Connecticut.

Generally, the state’s moratorium prohibits new construction on new nuclear facilities until the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency find that the federal government has identified and approved a way to dispose of nuclear waste.

The bill passed with bipartisan support in both the state House and Senate, as several lawmakers spoke favorably about the growth and potential of small modular reactors (SMRs). During public testimony, Dominion indicated it supported the bill but had no plans to add an SMR at the Millstone site “as their commercial viability is still many years away.”

“Dominion Energy supports the state’s efforts to explore all options available, including advanced nuclear technologies like small modular reactors, to achieve its long-term decarbonization goals,” said Mary Louise Nuara, State Policy Director for Dominion Energy in New England.

The bill now moves to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s desk.

Millstone power station has 2,100 MW of generating capacity. Unit 1 was commissioned in 1970 and closed more than 10 years ago. Units 2 and 3 are licensed through 2035 and 2045, respectively.

In 2020, Millstone generated 38% of Connecticut’s electricity, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The state had the seventh-highest share of electricity provided by nuclear power in the nation.

According to the National Conference of State Legislators, 12 states currently have restrictions on the construction of new nuclear power facilities: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Minnesota has adopted an outright ban on the construction of these facilities and New York has outlined a similar ban in a limited area of the state.