The Return of Nuclear Power: A Risk Worth Taking in Louisiana?

Nuclear energy is a controversial topic due to the risks associated with nuclear fission. But with support for atomic power rising, Louisiana might become the next place for a nuclear revolution.

Louisiana Needs More Power

Louisiana is set for a bit of an industrial and digital overhaul. Hyundai will be building a new steel mill in the state, Apple is funding the satellite management company Globalstar to expand its Louisiana-based workforce, Microsoft is putting millions of dollars into new carbon capture facilities, and Meta is building an artificial intelligence data center in the state.

All of these will be massive draws on Louisiana's electrical grid, and there's concern that at the current rate, Louisiana would not be able to power all of the industry coming to the Pelican State.

Could Louisiana Be Entering A New Atomic Age?

According to a report from the 10/12 Industry Report, state lawmakers, experts from LSU, and the state's energy providers are a part of a growing movement to build new nuclear power facilities in Louisiana. When somebody imagines a nuclear reactor, they probably imagine the massive smoke-stack reactors of places like Chernobyl, a massive and dangerous structure with swaths of workers keeping the reactor in check. New technology allows for nuclear reactors to be made without the requirements of a massive looming structure and a much smaller risk of disaster.

Smaller than the normal reactors we've come to know, the small modular reactor (SMR) makes about a third of the electricity compared to the normal ones (up to 300MW).

Get our free mobile app

The real benefit of the SMR designs is the modular aspect of the reactors. Professor of Chemical Engineering at LSU, John Flake, explained to the 10/12 Industry Report that the SMRs are very small compared to other reactors, only the size of a tennis court.

SMRs also have support from environmental activists, as nuclear is a way of creating electricity without any carbon pollution.