Small modular reactors offer a pragmatic and scalable path to reliable energy. With backing from government and the private sector, the Tri-Cities and the broader U.S. have a chance to lead a nuclear energy renaissance.
Private companies aren’t the only ones eyeing the Mid-Columbia for its potential as a site for data centers and development of artificial intelligence.
No Tri-City area lawmakers voted against the bill, though state Rep. Gloria Mendoza, R-Grandview, was absent for the vote, and two Yakima-area state lawmakers, state Reps. Chris Corry and Jamie Dufault, voted against it.
Recently published research from a WSU Tri-Cities scientist describes a new cheaper method for treating leftover corn stalks, husks, and other materials so its cellulose can be more easily broken down into the sugars needed for biofuel.
Officials said the new substation south of the Tri-Cities is a precursor to Bonneville Power Administration’s grid expansion plans, which includes proposals for 23 different projects in Washington, Oregon and northern California that will cost billions to construct and bring online.
By leveraging both its hydroelectric resources and heavy industry sectors, the PNW can create a new wave of economic prosperity and develop a regional energy hub that will benefit local industry and consumers.
The public power utilities that serve the Tri-Cities see BPA’s plan to move to a new energy market as a positive one that is more likely to lead to lower costs and provide for more certainty and planning of energy distribution.
Framatome plans to double the size of its Richland facility, building it on an agricultural field it owns adjacent to the campus, to produce the next generation of fuel arrays that will power nuclear reactors, a project estimated to cost $300 million to $400 million.
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