Minnesota lawmakers agree to study possibility of building new nuclear plants

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Minnesota lawmakers agree to study possibility of building new nuclear plants

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/05/26/minnesota-lawmakers-agree-to-study-possibility-of-building-new-nuclear-plants

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he Prairie Island Nuclear Generating plant looms in the distance beyond a lock and dam on the Mississippi River near Red Wing, Minn., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019.

Minnesota lawmakers authorized $500,000 for a study to evaluate the feasibility of constructing new nuclear power plants. The Minnesota Department of Commerce will contract with the Great Plains Institute to complete the report by January 30. This initiative aims to assess the potential for lifting the state's 32-year-old moratorium on new nuclear facilities.

The study will examine costs, regulatory requirements, and waste management strategies for both conventional and modular reactors. As utilities transition away from coal, proponents view nuclear power as a reliable, carbon-free energy source to meet rising electricity demand. The findings will inform future legislative debates regarding the state's energy policy and the potential for new nuclear infrastructure development.

Supporters hope it's the first step toward lifting the state's 32-year-old moratorium on new nuclear plants in the state. They say Minnesota needs nuclear energy to help meet its goal of carbon-free electricity.

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Advocates for nuclear energy achieved a victory at the end of the legislative session when state lawmakers approved funding to study the possibility of building new nuclear plants in Minnesota.

A coalition of utilities, counties, clean energy groups and labor unions pushed the Legislature to fund the study, hoping it will be the first step toward lifting the state's 32-year-old moratorium on new nuclear plants in the state.

Read the full article at MPR News:
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/05/26/minnesota-lawmakers-agree-to-study-possibility-of-building-new-nuclear-plants