NPPD has been studying possible locations for the next-generation reactor, known as a small modular reactor, or SMR — a smaller nuclear design the utility says can provide flexibility, efficiency and safety.
16 potential sites across the state were initially identified and the field now narrowed to four locations.
Thomas Kent, president and CEO of the Nebraska Public Power District, said naming the four sites is not a go-ahead announcement for construction, but a look at communities with “strong compatibility” that would meet federal siting guidelines.
The timeline for operation would be eight to 10 years until operation, according to Kent.
The study is funded through a state program launched after the Nebraska Legislature in 2022 allocated $1 million to the Nebraska Department of Economic Development for a feasibility review of siting options for advanced nuclear reactors. The department created the Nuclear Plant Siting Feasibility Study Program to administer the funding, which the state received from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Nebraska currently has one operational nuclear facility, Cooper Station, located near Brownville.
