A bill would pave the way for nuclear power in Indiana -- at a cost to consumers

[TexasTowelie]

Indiana’s energy future is up for grabs. Coal, though still the predominant energy source in the state, is on the decline. Natural gas, also a greenhouse gas-emitting fossil fuel, is looking to dethrone its predecessor. And renewables such as solar and wind, while growing in Indiana, are still trying to find their footing.

But now there’s a new kid on the block: Nuclear energy.

A new bill this legislative session creates a framework for Indiana “to move into the world” of nuclear energy, said Sen. Eric Koch, one of the bill’s main authors and chair of the Senate Utilities Committee. Koch proposed Senate Bill 271 along with Sen. Blake Doriot, R-Goshen.

The bill isn't aimed at just any type of nuclear energy, but at what are called small modular reactors, or SMRs. These reactors are a new technology and, as the name suggests, are much smaller and more flexible than their mammoth relatives.

They are so new, in fact, that there are currently none operating in the U.S.

Read more: https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/environment/2022/01/24/nuclear-power-plant-renewable-energy-reactor-technology-utilities-indiana-bill-sb-271/6561722001/
(Evansville Courier Press)

[Midnight Writer]

1. I've often wondered about small reactors, like those used on nuclear subs.

A friend of mine was a Navy "nuke" back in the 70s and he claimed the powerplant on a sub could fit into a single room and produce enough energy to power a small town. He also said it was safe, with no ill effects on the sailors who lived in the same boat with it for months at a time.

I wonder how much that technology has advanced in the last 50 years?