A bipartisan group of lawmakers will introduce legislation in both chambers Thursday that would allow nuclear plants to use conventional concrete and steel in buildings not directly connected to reactor operations.
Sens. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), along with Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), say their “Build Nuclear with Local Materials Act” offers a common-sense solution to reduce the cost overruns and construction delays that have plagued nuclear energy projects for decades.
“As nuclear technology evolves, our regulations should evolve with it,” Lummis said. “Requiring nuclear-grade materials in parts of a plant that have nothing to do with safety drives up costs and locks out local construction crews who are more than capable of doing the job.”
Nuclear-grade concrete and steel are significantly more labor- and time-intensive than conventional materials. Foundations can require roughly twice as much pouring time, with concrete accounting for about 80 percent of the materials used in nuclear power plant construction.
