BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Louisiana officials are working to position the state as a leader in nuclear energy, with a three-part plan before the federal government that includes uranium enrichment research, power deployment to data centers, and offshore nuclear waste storage in the Gulf of America.
The state already operates two nuclear reactors as part of its energy grid. Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources Dustin Davidson said the expansion is driven by industrial and national security needs.
“We need products that have energy density in order to power our strong industrial corridors we have in the state, but then also you look at the applications for national security — we are a shipbuilding state as well,” Davidson said. “The Navy really focuses on nuclear-powered submarines and other kinds of vessels.”
Uranium enrichment and waste reuse
The plan would begin in Baton Rouge with testing and research focused on uranium enrichment. That energy would then be deployed at data centers and other high-demand locations…