Jessica Lovering and Judi Greenwald write in UtilityDive about the ways in which the nuclear industry are engaging with local communities to get projects done.
- The nuclear energy industry is showing other industries how to engage local communities that will be affected by new energy projects.
- When deciding where it would site its advanced reactor pilot project, for instance, TerraPower engaged with local communities before deciding to locate its plant on a retiring coal plant in Wyoming.
- Similarly, power plants are in constant communication with local communities on the status and location of waste and spent fuel.
- With the permitting debate continuing in Congress, the nuclear industry is showing that local community engagement can go hand in hand with energy development and progress.
“We believe that a fair and just siting and permitting process for energy infrastructure will result in more successful projects that can still be built fast. But designing good processes will depend on whether we’ve learned from past mistakes. A good siting process looks for places favorable toward a project, offers funding and trusted experts to help communities understand the impacts and risks and gives communities off-ramps to quit a project at various points before a go/no-go decision is made.”
Read the full article here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
