AEP’s proposed small modular reactor unveiled at open house [Video]

Appalachian Power welcomed residents and elected officials to an open house in Lynchburg on Thursday night where company representatives answered questions about plans to bring a small modular reactor (SMRs) project to Campbell County, a few miles down the James River from Lynchburg.

The open house attracted close to a hundred people to the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance building in downtown. The public learned about SMR technology, how the spent nuclear fuel from the reactors would be stored onsite, and the project’s estimated economic impact on Campbell County and the Lynchburg area.

The SMR project would be built on company-owned property in the Joshua Falls area of Campbell County. This site, off Mt. Athos Road, already houses a 765-kilovolt substation and nearby roadways that can support moving the necessary equipment on site, according to the company.

Shane Lies, executive vice president of projects and services for American Electric Power, the parent company of Appalachian Power, said when the company …