Nuclear Feasibility Task Force ready for work

A recently named task force will be looking into bringing small-scale nuclear energy to Delaware when it begins meeting Oct. 27.

“Whatever we can do to expand the power grid. Of course, keeping in mind environmental concerns, making sure we do things that are environmentally sustainable for our communities’ future. But, yes, I’m very interested in nuclear,” said Gov. Matt Meyer in a recent interview.

Traditional nuclear plants such as the facility in Salem, N.J., across the Delaware River can produce gigawatts of electricity powering millions of homes, but can take more than a decade to build.

“There are other models now – small modular nuclear – that we are looking at. Those generally generate smaller quantities of power but use less land and can be done quicker,” Meyer said.

Meyer recently appointed eight people to the Delaware Nuclear Energy Task Force, which will eventually have 25 members, and was created through Senate Concurrent Resolution 18, sponsored by Sen. Bryant Richardson, R-Seaford.

During its first meeting Monday, Oct. 27, the task force will study bringing small modular reactors to Delaware with consideration given to regulatory, economic, environmental and energy-reliability implications. A report will be due to the General Assembly and governor by Dec. 31.

Meyer said his appointments represent a cross section of expertise in energy engineering, environmental science, regulatory law, economics, public health, business and community leadership.

The remaining 17 members will be a collection of legislative appointments from both parties, and others from the government and energy sectors.

Meyer’s appointees are:

• Robert Wheatley – Former chair of the Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission, who served on the commission for 30 years. Wheatley owned and operated a commercial construction company for 20 years, and now has a real estate and consulting practice. He also is an outside director of Linkbancorp, a community bank with operations across four states, and sits on the board of Sussex Montessori School along with several other nonprofits. 
• Robert DeNight – Vice president of Nuclear Engineering at PSEG, which owns five and operates three nuclear power plants in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He previously served as site vice president of Hope Creek Generating Station and vice president of Nuclear Operations Support. He supports the safe and reliable operation of both the Salem and Hope Creek generating stations and has more than 35 years of experience in the nuclear industry. 
• Andrew Cottone – An inventor, entrepreneur, and business leader with more than two decades of experience in advanced manufacturing and clean energy innovation. After earning his Ph.D. in organometallic chemistry from the University of Florida and completing post-doctoral studies at the University of Delaware, he co-founded Adesis in 2005, a research and development company. Cottone also founded Aternium, a Delaware-based company working to advance the region’s clean energy future by producing safe, reliable, and affordable industrial hydrogen.
• Keith Goossen – A professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Delaware, where his research spans optics, electronics, and energy systems. He began his career at Bell Laboratories and later co-founded a start-up commercializing high-speed fiber-optic modules. He holds 84 patents and is recognized internationally for his work in optoelectronics and micro-mechanical systems. 
• Anthony DePrima – The founding executive director of the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility, also known as Energize Delaware, which is a statewide resource for helping residents and businesses save money through clean energy and efficiency programs. Earlier in his career, DePrima served as city manager of Dover for a decade and as Dover’s planning and inspections director.
• Jennifer Clemons – An associate teaching professor in Penn State’s Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, and a NABCEP-certified photovoltaic instructor. Clemons previously spent 12 years at Delaware Technical Community College, where she chaired the Energy Technologies programs and developed associate degrees in solar, energy management, and building automation.
• Martin Willis – A union boilermaker for more than 35 years, and has worked on projects in oil refineries, petrochemical facilities, coal and natural gas power plants, nuclear power plants, paper mills, and steel mills. 
• Peggy Schultz – A Delaware resident active in the League of Women Voters and the founder of People for Offshore Wind Energy Resources, a coalition supporting offshore wind in Delaware. 

First U.S. small modular reactor is near

Already, the race is on to see which company will build and operate the first SMR in the United States. Several companies are gearing up after the Trump administration’s August kickoff of a Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program with the goal of having at least three test reactors achieve criticality by July 4, 2026.

Oklo

Oklo Inc., a publicly traded company, has targeted mid-2026 for the start of its small module reactor, which would make it the first built in the U.S . The company was one of 10 chosen for the nuclear pilot program meant to “help companies unlock private funding and provide a fast-tracked approach to future commercial licensing activities,” according to the U.S. Department of Energy. 

Oklo broke ground Sept. 22 on its Aurora powerhouse at the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho, near the site of a reactor that closed in 1994, and will use recycled fuel from the closed reactor for its prototype. Oklo will continue to use recycled fuel provided by a fuel recycling facility in Tennessee, “developing fast fission power plants to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable energy at scale, establishing a domestic supply chain for critical radioisotopes, and advancing nuclear fuel recycling to convert nuclear waste into clean energy,” the company website states.

Using the DOE Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear voucher, Oklo said it has started testing its sodium coolant for a 75 MW reactor, studying how the coolant flows through a fuel assembly across a range of operating conditions. Water has historically been used as a coolant for larger nuclear reactors. 

“These full-scale, prototypical tests are vital in moving us from design into production,” said Jacob DeWitte, co-founder and CEO of Oklo, in a press release.

On Oct. 1, Oklo announced its selection to the Advanced Fuel Line Pilot Project intended to further fast-track licensing.

X-Energy

X-Energy, headquartered in Rockville, Md., is developing gas-cooled small modular nuclear reactors and a TRISO-X fuel to power them.

The reactor can withstand temperatures exceeding 750 degrees fueled by billiard-sized “Pebbles,” according to X-Energy’s website.

These Pebbles are embedded with 18,000 trisoparticles, where each particle contains a minute uranium kernel wrapped  by three carbon layers, which prevents the release of more than 99.99% of unwanted byproducts. This eliminates the need for extensive containment structures, resulting in reduced safety perimeters, since the trisofuel acts as a containment vessel.

Helium circulates around the core, absorbing heat and boiling water into steam, which is used for energy production. The website states the fuel cycle can operate uninterrupted for 60 years, and the design is meltdown resistant.

In August, X-Energy announced an agreement with the Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of the Air Force to advance the development of its commercial microreactor in order to “to deploy advanced nuclear technologies to DOD installations to support U.S. national security.”

“We’re seeing the full force of federal partnership mobilized to bring advanced nuclear to market, and the leadership of the Trump Administration has been phenomenal,” said X-Energy CEO J. Clay Sell in a press release. “X-energy is proud to be a leader, and a partner with this administration to support America’s energy leadership.”

NuScale

Publically traded company NuScale uses traditional pressurized water-cooled reactor technology to supply energy to power generation and other uses. An SMR generates 77 MW, and its design is capable of withstanding severe weather, aircraft impact, electromagnetic pulse and cyberattacks. According to the company’s website, the NuScale power module “can shut down and self-cool indefinitely with no operator action, no AC or DC power, and no additional water.”

The Oregon-based company states that its SMR design is the only one so far that is certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority for its safety standards. 

The website also states a NuScale-powered SMR can be operational within 36 months of the first safety concrete pour. Its emergency planning zone extends only to the plant’s boundaries, “reducing potential disruption in the unlikely event of an incident,” it states.

In September, the company announced its SMRs will be part of a Tennessee Valley Authority initiative to provide 36 GW of baseload power into the TVA’s service region.

Westinghouse

Energy giant Westinghouse claims its SMR “is the most advanced, proven, and readily available” based on the company’s experience with large-scale nuclear reactors that operate in Georgia and in China.

“The AP300 SMR is based on the proven technology of the AP1000 reactor. Unlike every other SMR under development with first-of-a-kind technologies and risks, the AP300 SMR uses AP1000 engineering, components and supply chain to streamline licensing and leverage available technical skills,” the company stated in a September press release announcing memorandums of understanding signed with British suppliers that include building SMRs in the United Kingdom.

The model uses pressurized light water technology, safety measures, and construction and operational experience from its larger units for its new SMR units.

“Our AP300 SMR leverages that operating experience, as well as tens of millions of hours on AP1000 reactor development,” the website states.

According to Westinghouse, its High Energy Fuel Program “paves the way for utilities to leverage high burnup, higher enrichment and accident tolerant technologies for 24-month cycle operation and improved safety, economics, and reliability.”

TerraPower

Bill Gates’ TerraPower is another SMR that uses sodium as a coolant, instead of the traditional water coolant method. Its Natrium project broke ground in 2024 at a site in Wyoming near a retiring coal plant, and is the first plant to be built through a public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, according to the company's website.

The program authorizes a 50/50 cost share and up to $2 billion for the project. The website states the Natrium reactor will produce 345 MW of energy with GW storage capability.