HILLBILLY ENERGY:

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has a "moon shot" goal to ramp up nuclear energy. He's aiming at Southwest Virginia, saying it "has an extraordinary workforce in the energy world."

Youngkin's 2022 Virginia Energy Plan includes several recommendations in energy innovation.

"Southwest Virginia has always been, and always will be about energy," said Will Payne, director of Invest SWVA.

One goal of the plan is to deploy a commercial small modular nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia within 10 years. Payne says it's a prime area, due to its coal-mining roots.

"With these locations, mining activities required significant power, significant water and other land attributes that are also conducive to the deployment of small modular reactors."

He says small modular reactors, or SMRs, harness thermal energy to generate electrical power. Adding the self-contained generation units are small, more economical, safe and modular in nature.

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