>> Illinois is one step closer to building its first new nuclear reactor in nearly 40 years in February, Governor JB Pritzker directed state agencies to seek proposals for possible sites.

And now response is Iran from a prototype microreactor at the University of Illinois into communities that are navigating the energy transition.

The state that leads the nation in making nuclear power is looking at what's next.

Joining us, our Nancy Norton, president of the Grundy County Economic Development Council.

And Scott's oral Peoria County administrator, as well as James Walker, the CEO of Nano Nuclear Energy.

Thanks to all 3 of you for joining us.

So Nancy Grundy County, why?

Why is it suitable for new nuclear plant?

Well, Grande counties been home to nuclear for over 60 years.

>> We find ourselves really in the center.

We are the host to the Dresden, Clean Energy Center owned by Constellation 20 miles to the east.

Is Braidwood nuclear station in 20 miles to the West is live South station.

So we have a comfort with nuclear.

We have the workforce for nuclear.

We have the safety mechanisms in place and frankly the infrastructure and the transmission to get power to get the power out to the customers.

So we think it's an ideal location.

And you mentioned Constellation.

That's the owner operator of the existing, many of the existing nuclear facilities already in state of Illinois.

Absolutely.

Yes, one of the existing plants contribute to the state.

>> Well, I can't speak for all the plants, but I can tell you what they contribute in our community.

So, you know, it's almost 1800 megawatts of power, 700 Probably.

26.

Approximately 26 million dollars a year in property taxes to our local districts and apart from economic impact directly.

We also have the benefit of being able to market our location to have power.

As we all know, powers are real scarce commodity these days.

And we have transmission lines.

We have power sources, power assets.

And that's a really compelling case for advanced manufacturing and other renewable opportunities as well.

Scott, why Peoria County?

Well, we're in a different position.

We have a closed coal-fired power plant that home by district energy.

>> We have the same workforce qualities that the committees that have a nuclear power plant already have.

We have the connectivity to the grid.

That committee has communities have.

I think where we separate ourselves as we've been very supportive in Gnostic of all turn, alternative energy sources.

We have some of the highest number of locally approved utility scale solar projects in the state.

We've we're going to have to large utility scale wind turbine projects.

Each one is going to be in excess of 100 turbines and we at this point in time, not closing the door to clear, but making sure that that door stays open and if the opportunity presents itself to walk through that door.

>> James, what's different about what your company is working on at the University of Illinois?

ever on the prairie familiar with the traditional new systems, the big the big systems, but >> the new generation directors is just much It's been essentially shrunken down and it's allowed for UK to be deployed in ways.

It's never been deployed before.

So.

Mining sites, oil and gas sites, remote communities islands.

But reactors in the middle of the university.

It's going to be powering the the campus you could call.

It has never been deployed in that kind of flexible deployment model where?

The director will be or can put will shift to sites as much of the system assembled and then begin to maybe output power and the amazing thing about this new little tech is it can be co-located with the customer.

In this case, it's going to be surrounded by universities run by dorm rooms.

it just put power into of how plot it's, know, this could be very transformative, not just for that.

The university in the state, but but clearly, this is ploy new, caring ways as they've been put full.

>> Nancy, what what do you think the timeline would be like for construction of a new facility?

>> It really depends on the facility.

you know, the long lead times for what we're historic, big reactor nuclear facilities.

The lead times are significant.

But the Mars, this mom largely reactors, the micro reactors, all of those sorts of things.

There's lots of technologies out there.

We understand that there may be about 8 years out to their absolutely, you know, to market and ready for market but, you know, we're we're kind of waiting and seeing, but I know that the large reactors take a lot longer.

>> And when you see the large reactors, me like these that we're seeing on screen right now, the big silos that everybody's used to when we're talking to friend.

Scott, how long could a possible lead time before construction?

How could that affect planning for you?

I think from our perspective.

>> We we have we've identified a site, but it's in private ownership.

It is a ready to go.

just a it's a business decision for Vistra energy.

Whether or not they want to pursue it and then you get into that lead time for how long it would take to produce a reaction.

realistically, thinking along the lines of the small modular reactors as well in terms of what would fit our site terms how that, you know, works for us.

We want to see it just inmate a timely fashion and and then we can plan to make sure that we've got, you know, at what workforce or supplement the work force that we already have.

And continue to work on, having, you know, good affordable housing, which our community has and having, you know, no can check traffic congestion in our community, which you know is is very prevalent up in the Chicago Land area and where most of the nuclear power plants are today.

Okay.

>> James, what are some of the bottlenecks right now for building more reactors like the one that you're planning?

>> I wouldn't say technology is the challenge.

I would say that's been under investment into new care infrastructure in general right across the country and that's meant investment into conversion community in Richmond.

That whole fuel supply chain and the government's book.

It's putting money back into it right now.

I think the Biden administration, I think during his tenure there was something like 10 billion dollars that was put back into infrastructure building.

So it's happening.

It's what it's one of the bottlenecks.

I think if the plane wreckage on mask, but France is that the reactors themselves like you take all as an example.

It's it's known tech high temperature gas wrecked even the fuel type that rice.

If you've been qualified by the Department of Energy, the that timeline and the road map to the commercial launch of the systems is it is pretty much certain.

But and it's it's having all of the components to be able to mass manufacture directors.

That's going to be a challenge and one of the nation's will be that few supply chain.

>> Scott County, you mentioned, you know, of course, having a call plant shut down several years ago.

also mentioned, you know, sort of being agnostic.

You've also got some some wind and some solar going on.

What has that energy transition been like for your community?

>> So we're in a different to energy grid.

Then the Chicago Land area were in my son, which is part of the Ameren service territory that's downstate and we continue to see a significant rate increases for our residents and the and small businesses alike and, you we want to Rick Perry relief is a method getting to that repair relief.

having more nuclear power available so that it whether data centers are large election Caesars have guaranteed energy sources that are draining the existing power system.

Absolute.

Those are things that we're looking to see.

>> Nancy, you know, we talked about new reactors.

You know, new reactors not having been built for decades.

Talk a little bit about season the workforce, in the expertise and where that would come from with this new new 8 nuclear reactors that we're talking about.

So we're pretty fortunate to, like I said, you know, dressed in station operated by Constellation safely for over 60 years.

So we have the construction workers that have been maintaining these nuclear plants.

>> All around again.

You know, we have 3 right in our area every year.

They do outages and turnarounds.

So our trades are very skilled.

They have the certifications to operate in the plants.

They know how to build them.

And then also just from operation perspective, again, we have over 700 employees at the dressing station alone.

And so in our region, you figure probably have a couple of 1000 employees that understand how nuclear reaction and nuclear reactors work.

And so I don't know to scale up would be that difficult for us actually were really already there.

>> James, how do you expect smaller reactors like yours to be used in the future?

It's a good question because some of them we're seeing is very type citation I've been a big conversation in the recent years because >> even seeing that big day, even if they battle the gas, they want reaching capacity, the grid devil to be able to output that necessary power.

So.

I mean, that's going to be one big uptake of of the power system.

that piece of commend the grid stop utility bills.

Rising is a consequence of tech to take a power off the grid system.

I see Taylor's being deployed quite well white you can see it across.

I said, you know, projects gas remember take the 7 nations will phones.

Yeah, you can.

You can this in some remote communities that subsist off the a lot for us write a lot for us to keep our eyes on.

I'm sure a lot a lot of work for the 3 of you.

>> As as you're looking to the