During his time as governor, Glenn Youngkin has embraced what he calls an all-of-the-above approach to handling the growing need for energy in Virginia.
State Energy Secretary Glenn Davis says that means more than proposals for small modular reactors, known as SMRs.
"We've got two SMRs. And then just recently we've got the announcement that the first commercial fusion reactor in the world will be in Virginia. I mean Virginia is really leading the way for nuclear," Davis said.
But what about nuclear waste? Most of the time it becomes a problem for poor and rural communities where people of color have to live with it says Tim Cywinski at the Sierra Club
"So as long as we are investing in something that is pollution intensive, innocent people suffer every time. And those people pay taxes too," Cywinski noted. "Those people contribute to the economy too."
The rise in demand for power from data centers means Virginia will need to figure out a way to create more energy in the future. The governor says meeting that demand will require wind and solar in addition to natural gas and, increasingly. nuclear power.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
