FILE - The first of two new nuclear reactors, left, operates at Plant Vogtle, July 31, 2023, in Burke County near Waynesboro, Ga., while the second reactor, right, awaits completion. In hearings that began on Monday, Dec. 4, Georgia Power Co. is asking the state Public Service Commission to approve a further 6% increase in customer bills to pay for the second unit.
As an increasing number of companies aim for a carbon-free future, demand for electricity in the United States is projected to skyrocket, fielded in part by the need to power AI according to research by Grid Strategies LLC. It’s still a controversial energy source due to safety concerns. Despite the GOP platform, President-elect Donald Trump appeared to waffle on the topic during hisBiden’s Inflation Reduction Act included incentives for nuclear power through tax credits for existing and new plants and support for development. Those incentives could be at risk if Trump undoes the IRA, legislation he’s highly criticized.
Meanwhile, Utah’s Gov. Spencer Cox is advocating for $20 million of state funding to go towards developing the power source.