Energy Secretary to Wyoming: ‘You’re a Great Energy State – Add Nuclear to the List’

The original story by David Madison for Cowboy State Daily.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright wrapped up a big milestone Monday – visiting all 17 national labs – and saved Idaho National Laboratory for last, calling it “ground zero” for a long-awaited nuclear comeback.

And he had a clear message for Wyoming along the way: get in on it.

“Wyoming’s been a tremendous energy state, across the spectrum,” Wright said. “I would add nuclear fuel to that if I was Wyoming. And I love the great town of Gillette.”

Speaking to reporters, scientists and Idaho officials at INL, Wright said what people have been talking about for two decades is finally happening.

“This is ground zero for the nuclear renaissance that the Trump administration is passionate to make happen,” he said. “It’s been talked about for 20 years, but it’s actually happening now, literally now.”

Wright, who called himself a “nuclear nerd” since his teens, pointed out that INL had already built about 50 nuclear reactors by the time he first started following the industry. He also noted how the boom stalled out for decades under heavy bureaucracy and high costs — and said fixing that is now a top priority.

When asked specifically about BWXT’s proposed TRISO nuclear fuel plant in Gillette, Wright didn’t hedge.

“A great company, a great fuel technology that’s got a bright future,” he said.

He tied the facility directly to the broader nuclear comeback:

• New reactors being planned and built are going to need fuel.
• BWXT is currently the only company making TRISO fuel, a key type for many next-generation reactors.
• Putting that production in Wyoming, he suggested, would keep the state at the center of America’s energy story.

Michael Goff, principal deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Nuclear Energy, went even further, saying a Gillette plant could be critical for the industry’s growth.

“The idea is to get that part of the industry moving,” Goff said. “It would be a nice capability to have out west here.”

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon is weighing a $100 million incentive package to help bring the BWXT facility to Campbell County. A decision is expected around Dec. 15, according to the Wyoming Energy Authority.

Wright also tied the “nuclear renaissance” to what’s happening in Kemmerer, where TerraPower’s Natrium reactor project just cleared a major federal hurdle.

On Dec. 1, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a favorable safety evaluation for the project ahead of schedule, which TerraPower called a “momentous occasion.”

Wright said that early approval is exactly how he wants the system to work going forward.

In the 1950s and ’60s, he noted, the US approved and built over 100 reactors in about 25 years. Since then? Just two.

“One of the very necessary steps is to reform the NRC,” Wright said, adding that the agency has to focus on safety, safety and safety — without burying new projects in endless paperwork. “It became so bureaucratic, so slow and so difficult that it just killed the economics of new nuclear reactor development.”

He also pointed to the Trump administration’s goal of getting new reactors up and running by July 4, the 250th anniversary of American independence.

One of those is expected to be a Radiant microreactor, now working with Oak Ridge and INL after its Natrona County proposal ran into local opposition. The company plans to test a “plug-and-play” microreactor inside INL’s massive DOME facility, a sealed test building with a 130,000-pound door.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little highlighted how much Wyoming, Idaho and Utah are already working together on nuclear and broader energy policy.

“Gov. Gordon and Gov. Cox and I all signed a three-state agreement on how we’re going to basically work together on energy dominance and energy self-sufficiency,” Little said. “There’s no daylight between the three of us.”

Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson showed up in a red “Make Nuclear Great Again” hat, underscoring the political support for pushing nuclear forward in the West.

Little warned that if the US drags its feet, China and other countries will happily lead the industry instead.

“Somebody is going to do this in the world… and we have got to win,” he said.

Outside INL’s DOME, officials gathered around a glowing red “Reactor On” sign and signed it like a ceremonial banner. Wright joked he was signing a “declaration of nuclear energy independence.”

For Wyoming, his message boiled down to this: the nuclear boom is coming, the fuel has to come from somewhere — and Gillette and the rest of the state could be part of that next chapter.