The Future of Nuclear in Texas

Highlights from July 14, 2025 American Nuclear Society Webinar

First, a “hat tip” to nuclear power advocate Shawn Dixon for alerting me to this excellent hour-long webinar documenting the value of nuclear power for the state of Texas. GreenNUKE recommends this webinar highly, particularly for government decision-makers at the state and federal level. Nuclear advocates will also appreciate the webinar. The American Nuclear Society (ANS) deserves a big, “Thank you!” for making this presentation available. Many important current topics in nuclear power are covered.

My wife and I lived in Texas from 1993-2006. After we left, ERCOT in Texas aggressively embraced solar and wind generation, to the detriment of dispatchable and reliable generation. This ANS presentation suggests that the Texas government is now recognizing the dangers associated with a glut of solar and wind generation. As is shown in two of the Vistra slides below, neither solar nor wind were available when their power is really needed.

This lack of availability of solar and wind generation was clearly illustrated in Texas during winter storm Uri in mid-February, 2021. The adverse consequences included the deaths of about 1,000 Texans who succumbed to cold temperatures - mostly the very young and very old.. Electric power prices spiked at the thousands of dollars per megawatt-hour level, illustrating the failure of market mechanisms to provide reliable electricity in states with ISOs, RTOs, or ROs. (On the other hand, the vertically-integrated utility model subject to state regulatory oversight tends to provide economically-priced reliable power.)

Here’s a summary of the presentation:

The Future of Nuclear in Texas

The American Nuclear Society (ANS) had an archived hour-long webinar focusing on "The Future of Nuclear in Texas" on July 14, 2025, at 1:00 PM CDT. The event will be available to all users and will explore the state's efforts to expand nuclear energy, including public support, new projects, and legislative actions. Panelists included representatives from Vistra Corp, Texas Nuclear Alliance, Aalo Atomics, and the Office of Texas Governor Abbott.

This webinar is part of a series examining state-led initiatives to advance nuclear energy. It will highlight Texas's unique approach and its collaborations with federal, private, and other partners. The ANS has been actively covering various state-level efforts to support nuclear energy, including legislation in Texas, Iowa, Indiana, and Illinois. On the other hand, California plans to shut down safe, reliable, abundant, cost-effective and zero-emissions Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) in 2030. GreenNUKE is one of the advocates for DCPP extended operations beyond 2030.

Recent developments in Texas include a proposed $2 billion incentive fund to attract new nuclear projects. This includes House Bill 14, which aims to establish the Texas Advanced Nuclear Deployment Office and a coordinator to assist with permitting processes. The bill also proposes funding for reactor development and research, as well as training programs to address workforce gaps.

Several companies are also exploring nuclear projects in Texas. Dow Chemical and X-energy are partnering to deploy small modular reactors (SMRs) at Dow's Seadrift manufacturing site. Natura Resources plans to install a molten salt research reactor at Abilene Christian University's NEXT Lab. Texas A&M University is also considering bringing up to four new SMRs to its campus.

The ANS Link includes video and photos of presenters - https://www.ans.org/webinars/view-nucleartx2025/

YouTube Link - with many commercials:

Panelists

Roland Backhaus

Nuclear Energy Regulatory and Transactional Attorney, Vistra

Reed Clay

President, Texas Nuclear Alliance

Jon Guidroz

Senior Vice President of Commercialization and Strategy, Aalo Atomics

Jarred Shaffer

Budget and Policy Advisor, Office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott

Moderator: Craig Piercy

Executive Director/CEO, American Nuclear Society

Key slides below are from the Vistra July, 2025 investor presentation. Some of these slides are shown during the ANS webinar. Vistra, headquartered in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving is a “merchant power provider” in many states, including California. There is considerable relevant information for your review in Vistra’s informative investor presentation. Some fine details are only visible on Vistra’s slide deck.

Vistra Slide Deck Source: https://tinyurl.com/Vistra-July-2025

Page 10 US Electricity Demand and Real (Inflation-corrected) GDP Growth:

Page 14 Higher ERCOT Renewable Capacity May not be Available - Renewables growth has been strong in Texas but performs significantly below headline capacity

Page 15 Dispatchable Assets are Essential for Reliability. Gas plants fill the reliabilty gap even in markets with high renewables penetration like ERCOT

California’s decision makers in particular need to watch this ANS Webinar for a fact-based path forward.