Recent ANS webinar on the nuclear future in Texas

This conversation was the first in a new series of ANS webinars that will see various leaders convene for discussions on their states’ nuclear industries.

According to ANS Executive Director/CEO Craig Piercy, who led the discussion, Texas is “a perfect place to start” in a series on how U.S. states are considering nuclear technology as a tool to strengthen their energy security and economic competitiveness. Texas has “arguably done more than any other state in a short period of time to lay the foundations for future nuclear development,” he noted.

Changing tides: After his introductory remarks, Piercy turned to Jarred Shaffer, a budget and policy advisor in the office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to ask what has precipitated the state’s recent and rapid development in nuclear.

Shaffer responded that Winter Storm Uri in 2021 “significantly changed the electricity conversation,” shifting public and legislative focus to dispatchable, reliable power sources and an “all-of-the-above” strategy for energy resources. He explained that advanced nuclear fits perfectly into that shift in focus while also enabling a robust response to increasing demand from industry and a growing population.

Importantly, this change in perspective on nuclear has already made its way into policy with the recent passage of the state’s H.B. 14, a bill that establishes the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office. As a stand-alone office within the Office of the Governor, it will serve to both continue the conversation around nuclear and help industry navigate the nuclear regulatory and incentivization structures.

H.B. 14 also created the $350 million Texas Advanced Nuclear Development fund, which Shaffer called “the largest of its kind in the nation.”

Industry’s response: Piercy then shifted focus to Reed Clay, president of the Texas Nuclear Alliance, to ask how industry is responding to the legislative embrace of nuclear. The Texas Nuclear Alliance is an industry association dedicated to the advancement of nuclear technology in the state, and Clay offered its membership as a barometer of industry’s overall enthusiasm. “We ended 2023 with zero members; we ended 2024 with about two dozen members, and we just announced last week that we have over 50 members,” a clear indicator of a positive trend for the sector overall, he explained.

Beyond these recent changes, Clay also pointed to an efficient regulatory environment and a large skilled workforce as key draws for the state. Panelist Jon Guidroz, senior vice president of commercialization and strategy at Austin-based Aalo Atomics, echoed this idea. He explained that the oil and gas industries, alongside SpaceX, have built a uniquely strong industrial supply chain in Texas.

That supply chain is also supported by skilled welders, fabricators, and other tradespeople that the nuclear industry can leverage, said Roland Backhaus, a nuclear energy regulatory and transactional attorney at Vistra. He pointed out that, outside of the nuclear-specific components of new construction, the industry can “draw people who have developed their expertise from other infrastructure fields,” especially for the conventional construction nuclear buildouts require.

Go deeper: To hear these topics discussed in greater detail, watch the full webinar here.