The Department of Energy (DOE) has identified Utah, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Idaho as potential locations for new nuclear waste storage facilities.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced the selection after reviewing 28 applications from 26 states, stating that the five states have been chosen to “further explore building Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses.”
The initiative aims to establish initial facilities by 2027, according to administration officials. Wright described the effort as “crucial to unleashing America’s nuclear renaissance.”
Nuclear energy has long been a climate-friendly power source with bipartisan support in Washington. However, finding a permanent solution for spent nuclear fuel has remained a persistent challenge.
In 1987, Congress designated Yucca Mountain in Nevada as the only potential storage site, but local opposition led to its abandonment.
The Trump administration has pledged to quadruple the nation’s nuclear energy capacity by 2050. The proposed Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses would handle nearly 100,000 metric tons of nuclear waste, uranium enrichment, fuel fabrication, and reprocessing.
According to the DOE, these facilities could attract up to $50 billion in private investment, create 25,000 new jobs, and generate $10 billion in state and local tax revenue.
Wright emphasized that the projects would be “massive generators of economic growth” and critical for expanding the domestic nuclear industry. He credited the initiative to “President Trump’s leadership and ambitious directives.”
State leaders have expressed strong support. Utah Governor Spencer Cox stated the project would “drive affordable, abundant power across our country.” He added that the campus would accelerate Utah’s “Operation Gigawatt,” a program developing the entire nuclear lifecycle from fuel production to advanced reactor deployment.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt welcomed the initiative as an opportunity to “add nuclear to our energy abundance agenda.”
Mark James, director of the Institute for Energy and the Environment at the University of Vermont, noted that the plan reflects the ongoing difficulties in securing permanent storage. He highlighted the need for states to find willing partners interested in economic development related to waste storage and reprocessing opportunities.
James also stressed that any final decisions may require congressional approval, as Yucca Mountain was previously designated by Congress as the only permanent storage location in the U.S.