The Kentucky General Assembly looks to keep making good on its promise to see nuclear energy sourced in the state.

The Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority gave out grants today to get the ball rolling, and the Paducah senator leading the cause explained how many years it might take to say nuclear energy production.

Our Emily Sisk has the latest from Frankfort.

We are living the beginning of history, historical times, when it relates to energy, not just within our state or within our country, but within our world.

Senator Danny Carroll, a Paducah Republican, has championed the nuclear energy efforts over the last decade.

He sponsored legislation that lifted Kentucky's ban on nuclear in 2017.

The moratorium had been in place since 1984.

Today, the state's Nuclear Energy Development Authority gave out six grants to organizations across the state that want to get in on the nuclear movement.

House majority Leader Stephen Rudy, also from Paducah, said this signals the state's involvement in the energy source.

We're going to be in the center of the nuclear renaissance that's going to go on in this nation.

Nuclear energy is a nonrenewable power source that is known for being a clean, environmentally friendly energy option.

Last year, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 179 to establish a nuclear energy grant program, which could get the ball rolling for the years to come.

Today's awards were made possible by that legislation.

One of the grant recipients is the West Kentucky Educational Cooperative, which plans to create an education curriculum for students to have the expertise to enter the nuclear energy workforce.

We are establishing a robust science and technology curriculum that integrates into career and technical education, or CTE pathways directly, directly with our nuclear industry partners.

This ensures that our students aren't just learning, they're training for the specific high demand roles.

Our Western Kentucky economy is going to need.

Another award recipient.

General matter is working to construct a facility with nuclear energy capability in West Kentucky.

We're building a uranium enrichment facility in Paducah, but we also see the entire supply chain industry as being a opportunity for Kentucky to lead in.

Senate President Robert Stivers said because of these efforts to revitalize the region.

Citizens should soon see an economic boom.

Because of the investment going in and around the old gaseous diffusion plant in Paducah.

You're going to see that area of the state really have some good economic times over the next few years.

And as Senator Carroll gave his prediction of when Kentucky could actually see nuclear energy production.

I firmly believe that through these efforts, we can have nuclear reactors producing generating power within the next 15 years in our Commonwealth.

For Kentucky edition, I'm Emily Sisk.

Thank you Emily.

Senator Carroll is also sponsoring Senate Bill 57 this year, which would pilot three locations to be ready for nuclear generation.

Governor Andy Beshear also discussed the future of nuclear energy in Kentucky and also data centers during his weekly news conference today.

Oh, nuclear energy is going to be critical for us to to meet the, exponentially growing demand for power.

I think we're going to see more of the small modular reactors.

Of course, the cost of these are huge.

So I want to see what the $10 million would do.

I believe that the construction of them is likely going to be pushed by data centers.

And so they should be paid for in full, both the construction of new means of production and that full cost of of power.

To be clear, when a data center comes, to us and is looking to come into Kentucky, there are three requirements.

Number one, you pay for every cent of your power.

Our families are not going to foot the bill, for you.

And if we stick to that, if the General Assembly sticks to that, they will build out new means of production.

That will actually have more capacity than may be needed and a chance in the future to stabilize or even bring down power bills.