Bills that would allow Appalachian Power and Dominion to seek approval to start charging customers for the costs of developing small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs, moved forward in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate on Tuesday.
HB 1491 , sponsored by Del. Israel O’Quinn, R-Washington County, and SB 454 , sponsored by Sen. David Marsden, D-Fairfax County, were approved on third reading, and the bodies will now swap legislation following crossover on Tuesday.
The bills would allow utilities to seek approval from the State Corporation Commission to begin charging customers for some costs. The bills do not specify an amount or a time frame for such charges.
SMRs have been a hot topic in the state since October 2022, when Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced he planned to deploy a commercial one in Southwest Virginia within 10 years, as part of his “all-of-the-above” energy plan.
SMRs are smaller, simpler versions of traditional nuclear reactors and can be built in a factory and shipped to a site, which saves time, reduces the risks and is cheaper than constructing a large reactor.