Why Should Delaware Care?
In the wake of rising energy costs and concerns about future electricity demands from new high-demand users like data centers, elected officials are considering a slew of solutions. That has included a task force considering nuclear energy, but their recommendations will likely arrive too late to make legislative changes.
In April, New Jersey lifted a 50-year moratorium on new nuclear power projects.
In Virginia, an energy company is already 3D printing parts for the state’s nuclear plants.
And details about restarting Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island nuclear power plant could be announced as soon as this month.
But in Delaware, decisions about the state’s stance on nuclear power — specifically the emerging technology of small modular reactors — will likely be delayed until well after this year’s General Assembly adjourns on June 30.
That’s because the Delaware Nuclear Energy Feasibility Task Force, which has been convening regularly since last fall to study the issue, pushed back its deadline to produce a report until nearly a month after the legislative session ends.
The group, created by the legislature, was supposed to present its findings by the beginning of 2026, but task force members decided to delay the deadline almost immediately after they first convened.
“Right now, Delaware is years behind the other states,” said Martin Willis, a member of the Boilermakers Local 13 union, and task force appointee. “If we wait until 2027, we’ll be light years behind. We have to do something.”
The July 31 deadline means lawmakers are unlikely to consider new rules or regulations for the small nuclear reactor industry until next year — after the November elections that could impact lawmakers currently sitting on the task force. Additionally, task force member Rep. Jeff Hilovsky (R-Long Neck) will retire at the end of this year.
Despite the late deadline, the task force could potentially vote on its recommendations as early as Monday. Even so, it would leave only seven legislative days left in the 2026 General Assembly to draft, hear and pass legislation to advance those priorities this year.
Led by Sen. Stephanie Hansen (D-Middletown), the task force has been exploring the potential for small modular nuclear reactors in Delaware. While some see such reactors as part of a long-term solution, the industry is currently largely unproven.
The U.S. military reported in April that it is developing small modular reactors and related technologies that could come online as early as next year. But there are no such reactors actively providing power to anyone anywhere in the world, according to Allison Macfarlane, the former chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
During a meeting last month of the task force, Macfarlane told members that only large reactors operate throughout the world because the immense costs inherent in nuclear technology can only be overcome through economies of scale.
“It’s basic economics and I don’t think we’re going to be escaping that any time soon,” Macfarlane said
Nuclear gets a bipartisan nudge
Unlike coal and renewables, nuclear energy has traditionally been a less politically polarizing source of power.
Advancing nuclear technologies played a key role in the Biden administration’s plan for a transition toward a cleaner electric grid. Meanwhile, removing “undue burdens” on certain energy resources, including nuclear, was among President Donald Trump’s first executive orders.
Meyer, too, proclaimed in his State of the State earlier this year that “safe, modern nuclear energy” is needed in Delaware. In April, he noted during a radio program that Delaware is in an energy crisis. He said that is due to the state not generating much of its own power. The state typically imports 30% to 55% of its electricity from its regional grid.
“I’ve been very clear that we need to invest to make sure that we have wind generation, solar generation, nuclear generation, combined-gas generation,” Meyer told WHYY/DPM listeners in late April. “That is state policy.”
While Delaware’s nuclear energy task force began as a Republican idea, it was embraced by Hansen, a Democrat known for spearheading progressive environmental policies.
Lawmakers created the task force last year through a resolution that passed the House of Representatives through a voice vote, and the Senate through a vote of 19 to 2.
Senate Minority Whip Brian Pettyjohn (R-Georgetown), who does not sit on the task force, told Spotlight Delaware that he didn’t expect the resolution to pass. But with an energy supply crunch, he said all options need to be considered.
While modular nuclear reactors show promise, Pettyjohn also noted the challenges. He said the technology is not ready to be deployed so it would not solve the state’s immediate electricity needs.
He also pointed to historical events, such as the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, that leave lingering concerns for any residents living nearby a reactor.
Not an immediate answer
Pettyjohn’s comments came after Delaware elected officials repeatedly stated over the previous year that every energy option needs to be considered.
Lawmakers collectively turned their attention to the state’s energy industry after power bills shot up in the winter of 2025. Additionally, some have expressed concerns about grid reliability with power-hungry data centers sprouting across the region.
Still, Pettyjohn said unproven nuclear power technology likely “isn’t going to be the silver bullet” to address the region’s rising energy costs.
Economists and energy experts have for years set nuclear as one of the most expensive energy resources when start-up costs are included, typically running over $100 per megawatt hour. Modern nuclear projects have come in billions over budget and years overdue. Others have been abandoned altogether.
“If you need electricity in the next five years, nuclear is just not going to be able to answer that,” Macfarlane told the task force in early May. “You will not get what you need in that time period, probably not even in 10 years.”
Nuclear power in recent years has accounted for about 19% of the U.S. energy mix. But none of those electrons are being generated by small modular reactors, Macfarlane said.
Willis, who has been critical of the task force’s sense of urgency, wanted to see legislation passed this year to take advantage of federal funding opportunities that are already flowing to energy projects elsewhere.
“Everything we know now we knew six months ago,” Willis said. “In the meantime, New Jersey just leapfrogged right over us and passed legislation.”
