© 2026. The Trustees of Indiana University
Copyright Complaints
1229 East Seventh Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47405
News, Arts and Culture from WFIU Public Radio and WTIU Public Television
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Utilities may charge for nuclear pre-construction costs under bill sent to governor's desk

A model showing the difference in size between small modular nuclear reactors and a traditional nuclear plant. Senate Bill 424 would subsidize the development of small modular nuclear reactors.
A model showing the difference in size between small modular nuclear reactors and a traditional nuclear plant. Senate Bill 424 would subsidize the development of small modular nuclear reactors.

A bill to subsidize the development of small modular nuclear reactors now waits for the governor’s signature.

Senate Bill 424 allows an Indiana utility to pass along some of the pre-construction costs to their customers — even if the plant never gets finished. So far, none of the ones in the U.S. have.

One federally-funded project was  canceled in 2023 after more than a decade of work and nearly $9 billion in costs.

READ MORE: House passes measure to bolster nuclear, retain coal for AI data centers on utility customer dime

The legislation is one of several proposed this year to ensure AI data centers coming into Indiana have the massive amount of power they need to operate.

Rebecca is our energy and environment reporter. Contact her at  rthiele@iu.edu  or follow her on Twitter at  @beckythiele .

Tags
Rebecca Thiele covers statewide environment and energy issues. Before coming to Bloomington, she worked for WMUK Radio in Kalamazoo, Michigan on the arts and environment beats. Thiele was born in St. Louis and is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism.