Senate Bill 1418, a Republican-led measure that would prevent most Arizona county boards of supervisors from using zoning and land use regulations to prohibit small-scale, modular nuclear reactors, has been approved in the Arizona Senate and is currently awaiting a House vote.
The legislation excludes counties of more than 500,000 residents, meaning Maricopa and Pima. It would apply to the state’s other 13 counties.
The act is partially intended to place small reactors where coal-fired power plants once operated, without requiring additional review or local impediment. Transmission infrastructure is already in place at these sites, the thinking goes, allowing them to distribute generated power more easily.
Modular nuclear power has also been touted as a potential component to address the power needs of expanding data center development. The legislation addresses this point by saying the power plants can be placed next to operations that have an “extra high load energy factor.”
Democrat legislators and activists have raised concerns about safety and the potential for nuclear waste while urging increased focus on solar, wind and geothermal energy.
Supporters of the measure, and of data centers as part of Arizona’s business landscape, point to the project type’s positive economic development impacts, particularly for rural areas. The plants can cost billions under current price estimates, which could be a major economic development generator for rural areas of the state that have largely been passed over in the recent development booms. (See page 1).
They also point out that small, modular reactors are nothing like the massive power plants people normally think of when envisioning nuclear power. They generally run to heights of fewer than 30 feet, whereas a traditional reactor can stand as high as 200 feet.
Opposition centers around two primary issues: whether deploying nuclear is a good idea on its face, and the degree to which the state should be able to override local control.
Those urging caution about the nuclear technology point out there are currently no active modular developments operating in the U.S. and stress the need for testing and safety assurance. They have also expressed concerns about the need for uranium to power the plants and the health risks associated with uranium mining.
Local control has been a hot-button issue in recent years, including legislation that prevents municipalities from preventing the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units on single-family properties. (Source: Arizona Daily Star)