MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers signed a pair of bipartisan bills Wednesday designed to bolster nuclear power in Wisconsin.
Previous coverage:
Nuclear power development bill passes state senate, on its way to assembly
Nuclear power may return to Kewaunee County; why it's back after a decade
Lawmakers who advocated for the measures said they hoped to make Wisconsin the “Silicon Valley” for nuclear power development in the country.
One bill orders a $2 million study to find the best location for a nuclear fusion power plant in the state. The other creates a new board to advance nuclear power and fusion technology in the state and host a summit in 2028.
Evers, a Democrat, said exploring nuclear power options are a way to combat climate change and lower carbon emissions.
"We must continue our efforts to help lower energy costs and improve energy independence by reducing our reliance out-of-state energy sources, and these bills are an important step in the right direction,” Evers said in a statement.
The bills focus on nuclear fusion rather than fission, the nuclear reaction that powers current nuclear reactors and produces radioactive waste.
Scientists in 2022 announced that they have for the first time produced more energy in a fusion reaction than was used to ignite it — a major breakthrough in the decades-long quest to harness the process that powers the sun.
“The nuclear renaissance is here in Wisconsin and in the United States, and it’s time for everybody else to get on board,” Republican Rep. Shae Sortwell said during Assembly debate last month.
