A Wyoming town is divided over plans to site a nuclear microreactor facility less than two miles from residential homes.
Officials say the proposal will boost the local economy, as well as opening up new jobs, but some residents of Bar Nunn, Natrona County, are concerned by the proposal.
Bar Nunn Mayor Peter Boyer told Newsweek he hopes to allay locals’ fears of possible radiation by increasing education.
“We are striving to get correct information out to the community and calm fears,” Boyer said.
“Nuclear can be scary because of the implications of exposure and we as a council want to help alleviate fears by presenting facts. Education is the antidote to fear,” he added.
What Is The Plan?
Energy company Radiant makes Kaleidos reactors—portable nuclear microreactors that can replace diesel generators. The reactors have more than 110 times the energy density of existing diesel systems, according to the company, and can be delivered to a given site by truck.
The plan for Wyoming is not a “full scale nuclear operating plant” but rather “a manufacturing operation,” Natrona County Commissioners Chair Dave North told Newsweek.
Ray Wert, vice president of communications and marketing at Radiant, told Newsweek it would “bring over $250 million in investment and hundreds of good-paying jobs to the community we end up building in.”
Wert added that it would provide an estimated 250 jobs paying $80,000 a year, which he said would bring $20 million into the local economy, plus an additional 750 jobs as a result of the manufacturing operation.
While the site of the microreactor has not yet been confirmed, Natrona County is one of the final locations Radiant is eyeing up, he said.
Boyer said the plan would result in community growth through new homes and businesses, as well as opening up over 500 acres of land for development.
What Are the Concerns?
Despite promises of an economic boost to the community, some Bar Nunn residents remain against the proposal.
One local woman said at a council meeting on August 5: “This is the single biggest issue that Bar Nunn has ever faced.”
“I do not trust this,” she added, after voicing concerns about uranium leaking into water supplies. “It’s our responsibility to leave our grandkids and their kids with a safe place to live.”
One man said in another council meeting on July 22: “What are we going to do when we get an alert on our phone and it says everything outside is radioactive and we’re watching our kids play in the front yard?”
He expressed concern that those living in a 10-mile radius from the site would see their home value go down.
Wert said it is a minority of residents that oppose the plans, citing a poll commissioned around a month ago in which “the vast majority” of the community said they supported them.
And in the July 22 council meeting, one local woman said: “I think that this is going to be something that is phenomenal for our community.”
“I look forward to the growth and the development of our town,” she added.
“It’s understandable that there is a visceral fear of radiation,” Boyer said. “Radiation can be dangerous, but when handled correctly and with respect, nuclear energy is safe and a powerful tool for us to use to enrich our lives.”
He added that there has been a significant amount of “infighting and misinformation that’s spread throughout the community.”
Wert said that Radiant had been holding “town halls, information sessions, gone door to door, and have done dozens of interviews with media” to help inform residents.
“Unfortunately, a small and vocal minority of residents have been spreading misinformation—most unintentionally, but some intentionally—which has made our education efforts more challenging,” Wert said.
Experts Weigh In on Risks
Kathryn Higley, a professor at Oregon State University and president of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, told Newsweek that she knew of small research reactors situated “only a couple of blocks from residential buildings.”
She said that risk calculations for these reactors have shown them to be “extraordinarily safe, and that’s why it can be close to people.”
“I would anticipate that microreactors, in general, would have a somewhat similar, if not safer, profile,” she added.
Higley also said that for a reactor to contaminate drinking water “it either needs to be leaking material into the ground, or it would have to irradiate and cause the ground to become radioactive.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) told Newsweek that reactors like the one Radiant intends on building, which are “smaller, advanced designs,” are expected to reduce the possibility of accidents like leaks.
“Even in the unlikely event of an accident, their small size and amount of fuel would slow down and otherwise limit any release of radioactive material,” the spokesperson said.
As Radiant has not yet filed “any applications with the NRC for a facility near Bar Nunn,” the spokesperson said, the company would have to “specify how they meet the applicable siting requirements in any license application for a nuclear reactor.”
This includes the need to demonstrate a proposed reactor can “operate safely and shut down safely if a plant malfunctions or severe external events, like earthquakes and severe weather, occur,” the spokesperson said.
What Happens Next
As the debate continues locally, Wert said Radiant has recognized “we have more work to do.”
Boyer said that education remained a key focus in the community. “Going forward from here, we want to focus on the positive outcomes for the community instead of the negative and divisive narrative that has been controlling the conversation,” he said.
Additionally, North said that Radiant’s microreactor will “go through the complete testing process next year at the Idaho National Lab.”
“Other groups have also tried to share pertinent data and relevant information so individuals can be informed,” he added.
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