Texas lawmakers, industry leaders plan to make Texas nuclear capital of world

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(The Center Square) – Texas is pushing nuclear energy after the legislature advanced new legislation that Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law. Texas is currently the epicenter of new nuclear and AI projects as deals continue to be made in the multi-trillion-dollar AI race nationwide.  

HB 14, filed by state Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, established the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office and a $350 million Texas Advanced Nuclear Development Fund to incentivize the development of the nuclear energy industry in Texas. 

"The State of Texas continues to build the world's most robust and diverse energy sector," Abbott said when he named its new director, Jarred Shaffer, earlier this year. "TANEO and the Texas Advanced Nuclear Development Fund will increase Texas' investment in an all-of-the-above energy approach to solidify Texas as the world's energy hub.” 

Abbott, who has vowed “Texas will lead the nuclear renaissance," is headlining a Texas Nuclear Summit in Austin on Thursday hosted by the Texas Nuclear Alliance. Six hundred leaders from a range of industries as well as state and federal lawmakers will attend the conference with a singular mission: “to make Texas the Nuclear Capital of the World.”

“Texas is experiencing increased electricity demand and a growing need for reliable, clean, and dispatchable energy sources, with ERCOT projecting that the demand could reach nearly 150 gigawatts by 2030,” Harris argued when filing the bill. “Advanced nuclear reactors could provide a viable solution to the state's energy needs, offering consistent power generation while fostering economic growth and energy security.” 

“Texas has already proved itself to be a leader in the industry, with nuclear energy currently providing around 10 percent of the state's power needs,” Harris said, citing state comptroller data. The new law created the TANEO to oversee nuclear energy initiatives, fund programs, and provide regulatory oversight assistance.

The new law followed Abbott's 2023 directive to the Public Utility Commission to maximize power grid reliability, including all forms of dispatchable power, including nuclear energy. He directed the PUC to evaluate advanced nuclear reactors to determine if they can provide safe, reliable and affordable power to the Texas grid. 

The PUC was also directed to establish the Texas Advanced Reactor Working Group (TARWG) to study and plan for the use of advanced nuclear reactors in Texas. TARWG last year published its findings and a plan “to build a world-leading advanced nuclear power industry to enhance electric reliability and energy security, promote economic development, and unleash new opportunities for the growing Texas workforce.”

The 78-page proposal submitted to the PUC states that Texas “is well-poised to become the national, if not global, leader in using advanced nuclear energy technologies. Texas has the industrial and development needs – from oil and gas production to data centers and a burgeoning artificial intelligence sector – with demand growth projected at 8% a year for the next decade. Advanced nuclear is a viable solution to lead the way to provide the safe, resilient, reliable, dispatchable and steady source of energy the state and its citizens need.”

TARWG also made several recommendations for the legislature to consider, including related to supply chain and regulatory issues.

A recent survey conducted by the University of Texas San Antonio’s Center for Public Opinion Research found the majority of Bexar County residents support the use of nuclear energy. Bexar County is the fourth most populated county in Texas with more than two million residents.

The university receives federal funding for its “CONsortium on Nuclear sECurity Technologies” (CONNECT) program, which establishes career pathways between the U.S. Department of Energy and students majoring in the STEM fields of physics, engineering and computer science.

“We found remarkable alignment between the Trump administration’s nuclear renaissance strategy and public sentiment both nationally and locally,” UT San Antonio professor of public administration Chris Reddick said. “This convergence of favorable public opinion, technological readiness and political will creates what may be unprecedented conditions for American nuclear expansion since the 1970s.”

“Strong public support for nuclear energy can help Texas advance nuclear development plans and strengthen the case for private investment and government incentives in Texas’s nuclear energy sector,” the Texas Nuclear Alliance argues.