To tackle energy costs N.J. must go nuclear

By Ron Simoncini

New Jersey is running out of power and out of time. Electricity demand is rising faster than our ability to supply it, creating a bottleneck that threatens our economy. If we want to remain competitive, we need to move boldly.

Small Modular Reactors, or SMRs, could be the breakthrough that powers New Jersey’s future.

Traditional nuclear plants take over a decade to build, cost billions, and require remote sites far from demand centers. SMRs are different: factory-built nuclear reactors shipped in modules and assembled on site.

This makes them faster to deliver, easier to site near users, and safer thanks to modern passive safety systems and underground or shielded designs.

A single 300-megawatt SMR could power nearly 300,000 homes, or entire campuses of data centers,