We’ve Sparked Legislative Momentum for SMRs in SC!

At Palmetto Promise, we believe in the power of ideas backed by strong policy research. That belief was put to the test and proven true when our July 2024 report, Small Modular Reactors: An Answer to South Carolina’s Energy Crisis, helped lay the groundwork for a major bipartisan breakthrough in Columbia. 

In recent months, both the House and Senate versions of South Carolina’s comprehensive energy legislation, H. 3309, have included key provisions that champion Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as a critical part of our state’s future energy portfolio. While the bill covers a wide range of reforms, the inclusion of SMRs in both the February 12 House version and the April 4 Senate version demonstrates a clear shift, and we anticipate that SMRs will remain part of the final draft of the energy bill following inevitable conference committee negotiations. Policymakers are now seriously considering nuclear innovation as a solution to South Carolina’s long-term energy needs. 

This shift did not happen in a vacuum. Our report was one of the first in South Carolina to explore SMRs not only as a technological solution but as a viable, near-term policy option. We showed how SMRs could help solve South Carolina’s twin challenges of reliability and affordability, particularly in the wake of the V.C. Summer collapse. The report outlined how other states and countries are moving forward with SMRs and offered concrete policy recommendations tailored to South Carolina’s regulatory environment. 

Lawmakers took notice, and the result was a report that did not just sit on a shelf but helped move the needle on state policy. 

Representative Gil Gatch (R-Summerville), chairman of the subcommittee that drafted H.3309, explained it this way:  

“Small Modular Reactors address the significant challenges associated with traditional nuclear power. They offer the promise of expedited and cost-effective plant construction, enhanced safety in operational practices, and reliable carbon-free energy generation that can operate nearly 24/7.”  

The path forward for SMRs in South Carolina is still developing, but momentum is building. 

SMR projects around the country are in the news every day.  Duke Energy, in North Carolina, is considering breaking ground on an SMR in Stokes County, the Tennessee Valley Authority has authorized a SMR project, and construction is already underway on SMRs in Covert, Michigan, while lawmakers across the nation have filed over 200 bills in support of SMRs and nuclear energy. 

 We are proud that our work is not only shaping the conversation in South Carolina but producing real-world results. 

Featured image: An example of a Small Modular Reactor (SMR), from the African Commission on Nuclear Energy.