FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — Millions of dollars in state grant funding have started going out as Kentucky works to position itself competitively for nuclear energy development.
“These are the first fruits from that seed that was planted a long, long time ago,” Rep. Steven Rudy (R-Paducah) said during a media conference on Thursday.
Kentucky lifted its 1980s ban on nuclear energy development in 2017 through Senate Bill 11 after nearly a decade of debate. A few years later, lawmakers built enough support to establish the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority in 2024. The authority began accepting grant applications last year for projects aimed at laying the groundwork for the next phase of the state’s energy infrastructure.
“This is one of the things that the General Assembly has made a priority in energy policy. That we have to do things that we know, not maybe in the next year or two, but set the table, set the predicate for the energy and nuclear energy development,” Senate President Robert Stivers (R-Manchester) said.
On Thursday, officials awarded the first grants to six groups. Some organizations, including the nonprofit SOAR and the technical college system, will use the funding to launch new workforce training programs. Nuclear fuel startup General Matter, which committed last August to developing a commercial uranium enrichment facility in Paducah, plans to use its grant to create a statewide roadmap for expanding nuclear supply chain manufacturing.
“We’re seeing statewide buy-in on this industry right now. We see the nuclear industry as being a bullet train. And Kentucky has a ticket to ride,” General Matter’s Scott Duff said.
Officials said Thursday’s announcements will not expand Kentucky’s nuclear energy capacity overnight, but lawmakers at the event believe the move signals to major developers that the state is open for business.
“So, this is step one. And then step two with Senate Bill 57 going through that process,” Sen. Danny Carroll (R-Paducah) said.
Carroll has largely led the grant effort and hopes lawmakers will support SB 57 this year. The bill would create a pilot program designed to jump-start nuclear energy development at three locations across the state.
“I firmly believe that through these efforts, we can have nuclear reactors generating power within the next 15 years in our Commonwealth,” he said.
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