Nuclear project development and delivery company The Nuclear Company will partner with landowner Sam Howard, founder of Trace Creek Construction, and community leaders in Lewis County to advance the proposed campus. The target is for construction on the project, called Prosperity One, to begin in 2028.
Initial activities will include detailed site characterisation, geotechnical investigations, environmental assessments, transmission interconnection planning, and preparation for federal nuclear licensing, with project planning addressing “transportation, housing, environmental stewardship, emergency preparedness, water use, and other considerations associated with developing a nuclear campus of this scale”.
It is intended to be a phased development, with the initial phase featuring two of Westinghouse’s AP1000s.
Howard said: “I have nine grandchildren, and all of them live in Lewis County. I want them to have the opportunity to stay. For years, our county’s unemployment rate has been among the highest in the state. An infrastructure project like this could provide jobs and economic opportunities for generations of Eastern Kentucky residents.”
Lewis County is due to be among the first of Kentucky’s counties to request designation as a nuclear-ready community under the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority.
Joe Klecha, Chief Nuclear Officer for The Nuclear Company, said: “For generations, communities along the Ohio River have formed America’s industrial backbone. We are proud to partner with the community to apply our team’s collective experience to deliver lasting jobs, a stronger tax base, and reliable power for Kentucky.”
The Nuclear Company emerged from “stealth mode” in July 2024. In March this year, it launched The Nuclear Company Services, offering maintenance and outage support to US reactor operators. In May, it announced a partnership with global investment firm Brookfield to form a new company specialising in the development of Westinghouse nuclear reactor technology, which will project-manage the completion of the two partially built VC Summer AP1000 units in South Carolina.
