FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 19, 2025) — A measure to set aside funding for nuclear energy development grants in Kentucky was unanimously given the green light by the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee on Wednesday.  

Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, testified that the bill he’s sponsoring – Senate Bill 179 – will bolster the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority (KNEDA). Lawmakers established the group last year to promote the development of nuclear energy and a related ecosystem within Kentucky. 

“This bill establishes the nuclear energy grant program within KNEDA. As you all will remember, we appropriated $40 million that went to the University of Kentucky to support the nuclear authority and also EPIC (Energy Planning and Inventory Commission). The provision was that those boards would be operated with the interest from the $40 million investment that we made,” he said. 

The measure calls for setting aside $10 million of the $40 million for grants, and it sets up a subcommittee of board members to oversee the process for evaluating applications and awarding funds.

The maximum grant an entity could receive would be $2 million. But over time, more funding could be earmarked for the effort, Carroll said. He pointed to nuclear development in Tennessee, and said Kentucky can’t lag behind other states. 

Tennessee has invested about $95 million in such efforts, “and as a result, Tennessee has taken the lead in this country on the development. The first small scale reactor, SMR (small modular reactors), will be built in Tennessee, and they are getting numerous businesses, development coming in related to nuclear,” he said. 

Sen. Stephen West, R-Paris, thanked Carroll for his work on the initiative. 

“This is important now. We needed this yesterday. Just look forward to working on this with you in the future,” he said. 

Carroll said he and West continue to learn more about nuclear energy, and “these are historical times, and Kentucky has got to step up in this area or we’ve going to be left behind.”

Senate Majority Caucus Chair Robby Mills, R-Henderson, said he agrees with West that moving forward is necessary. 
“All of us on this committee are concerned about energy, and we’ve got to put our head down and get to work and get back to being a leader in energy in the nation,” he said. 

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Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, speaks on Senate Bill 179 during Wednesday’s Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee meeting. Smith is committee chair. The measure would set aside funding for nuclear development grants in Kentucky.

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Committee Chair Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, encouraged committee members to study energy-related bills that are moving through the committee. 

“Let’s take the time to do the due diligence so they can move through our committee quickly. It is going to be very pivotal for us to take advantage of having a president that has a power policy,” he said. 

Smith said now is a transitional time for American energy, and the United States needs to be at the forefront of energy and artificial intelligence capabilities.

“And we don’t want to wind up being energy poor,” he said. “We’ve seen what that does to other nations. That does not need to happen to us, so I do really applaud the effort here.”

The bill now heads to the Senate.