The Arizona House Committee on Natural Resources, Energy, and Water has passed legislation to accelerate the development of small modular reactors that are co-located with large industrial energy users like data centers or uses to replace or expand generation at existing baseload power plants.
The bill “removes bureaucratic hurdles standing in the way of SMR deployment to meet growing energy needs, streamlining the permitting process for utilities and large technology companies with clean, reliable energy,” a Feb. 20 news release from Arizona House Majority Leader Michael Carbone, sponsor of the legislation, said.
For Utilities, the legislation eliminates the requirement for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility when converting an existing thermal unit to an SMR or constructing a new SMR at an existing thermal plant.
For Large Industrial Energy Users, in counties with a population of 500,000 or less, a new SMR colocated with a large energy user will be exempt from the CEC process and county zoning restrictions.
The bill, HB2774, now moves to the full Arizona House of Representatives for further consideration.
Arizona public power utility Salt River Project, Arizona Public Service and Tucson Electric Power recently announced that they will be working together to explore adding nuclear generation in Arizona.
The utilities have been monitoring emerging nuclear technologies and have a shared interest in evaluating their potential to support growing energy needs in the state, they said in a joint news release.
