by Anthony Morabith, Missourinet
JEFFERSON CITY – A Missouri lawmaker is proposing to allow electric corporations to charge ratepayers for the costs of building a nuclear power plant before the plant is up and running. State Sen. Curtis Trent, R-Springfield, says his bill would ensure affordable electricity in the state.
The Missouri Senate could debate his bill at any time.
“The type of nuclear power that I think gets built would be next generation power and particularly the small modular reactors that are beginning to be certified by the national government and I think they’re on the on the cusp of being built elsewhere in America,” he said.
The bill would provide for clean baseload electric generating plants that utilize renewable sources of energy rated at 200 megawatts or more. Regarding nuclear energy, Trent said the technology has continued to advance.
“We currently use small reactors in a variety of military applications on naval ships,” he told Missourinet. “Of course, these are different technologies but there are lessons that you can learn, and anytime you use a technology as we have been using nuclear power for decades now, you learn more about that and that becomes a more refined technology.”
Trent said Missouri has an energy source that is cheap for the public. He said nuclear energy protects Missouri’s status as one of the more low energy cost states in the country, explaining that’s how the Show-Me State attracts businesses.
“Everything is going up in price these days, it seems like,” he said. “We don’t want electricity to be one of those things that driving up cost.”
Those opposed to the House’s version of this bill write against this idea, saying ratepayers should never be asked to pay for what they may receive no benefit from.
Click here for more information on Senate Bill 333.
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