GENOA, Wis. (WKBT) — Nuclear power could be making a return to Genoa as Dairyland Power Cooperative partners with Applied Atomics to explore the feasibility of small modular reactors at the site.
For decades, the Genoa site served as a critical energy generation facility for the region, housing both a nuclear power plant and a coal plant. The coal plant shut down in 2021, leaving the site dormant. Now, Dairyland is considering whether smaller, more modern nuclear technology could revitalize the location.
Rather than pursuing a traditional large-scale nuclear facility that would take decades to construct, the companies are exploring small modular reactors, or SMRs. These reactors are manufactured in factories and assembled on-site, offering a potentially faster path to operation…