State Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, proposed the creation of the Texas Advanced Nuclear Deployment Office and is seeking $2 billion for the fund.
“This absolutely sends a message to the rest of the country” that Texas will lead in nuclear power, Harris said. “To restart [the nuclear industry], it will take public investment to get those different technologies over the threshold.”
House Bill 14’s low bill number signifies it is a priority of Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock. Gov. Greg Abbott has also shown support for legislation that would stimulate the nuclear industry.
“Texas is the energy capital of the world, and we are ready to lead a nuclear power renaissance in the United States,” Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said in a text message. “By utilizing advanced nuclear energy, Texas will enhance the reliability of the state grid and provide affordable, dispatchable power to Texans across the state.”
Mahaleris said Abbott was looking forward to reviewing any bill that furthers nuclear power in Texas.
HB 14 proposes using taxpayer money to blunt the costs of constructing and procuring nuclear technology, provide grants for reactors and fund research into nuclear power’s development.
The bill would also create a state coordinator to assist in the permitting process for the state and federal governments.
A nuclear power task force convened by Abbott recommended a $5 billion Texas nuclear fund in November. Many of its recommendations are reflected in HB 14, but Harris said getting that much funding was not feasible during this legislative session.
Lawmakers are mulling how to spend a $23.8 billion surplus, but much of that money has so far been dedicated to offsetting school district property taxes, a voucher-style school choice program and teacher pay raises.
“I would love to be able to go for $5 billion, but looking at everything that is on the table this session, we have to be realistic with where we are,” Harris said.
Texas is home to two nuclear power plants that generate enough electricity to power roughly 1.3 million homes. Though the power plants, which include Irving-based Vistra Corp.’s Comanche Peak plant southwest of Fort Worth, offer a steady supply of clean energy, there has not been a new nuclear power plant developed in Texas since the 1990s.
Nuclear power has been stifled by worries over radioactive waste, disaster fears, a history of cost overruns and cumbersome regulatory requirements.
However, nuclear power has gained broad bipartisan support in Texas, with Republicans appreciating its reliability and Democrats enticed by its potential as a clean source of energy with no greenhouse gas emissions.
Harris said he did not consider climate change when drafting the bill. “But if that is a reason you want to like nuclear, then go for it,” he said.
In Texas, the atrophied industry has seen some recent developments. In 2023, chemical company Dow announced that it would build a nuclear reactor to power its Sea Drift industrial site along the Gulf Coast.
Abilene Christian University announced in 2024 that it had federal regulatory approval to build the first research reactor in the U.S. in more than 40 years.
The Texas A&M University System is also in the process of developing a nuclear proving ground on a campus in Bryan. A&M Chancellor John Sharp announced last month that four companies had been selected for the site.
A&M officials are seeking approval from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission to use its 2,400-acre RELLIS campus as a site for reactors. Each reactor design would require additional federal approval before construction could begin.
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