The U.S. Department of Energy selected Oklahoma as one of five finalists for one of the nation’s first Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses, a project that could combine advanced nuclear power, manufacturing and fuel production while attracting billions of dollars in investment.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma moved a significant step Tuesday toward competing to land one of the nation’s first Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses, a project federal officials say could attract up to $50 billion in investment, after the U.S. Department of Energy named the state one of five finalists.
The Department of Energy selected Oklahoma, Utah, Tennessee, Louisiana and Idaho from 28 applications representing 26 states to continue competing for the initiative. Federal officials said they expect to select up to three host states for the first campuses, which are intended to strengthen and modernize the nation’s nuclear fuel cycle.
A different kind of nuclear project
Unlike a traditional power plant, the proposed campuses would integrate multiple parts of the nuclear industry in one location. Depending on a state’s proposal, a campus could include fuel fabrication, uranium enrichment, recycling of used nuclear fuel, waste management, advanced reactor deployment, electricity generation, advanced manufacturing and co-located data centers.
The Department of Energy said a fully developed campus has the potential to attract up to $50 billion in capital investment, generate as much as $10 billion in state and local tax revenue and create nearly 25,000 jobs, although those figures represent the federal government’s estimates for an innovation campus rather than projections specific to Oklahoma.
“I’m pleased to announce that after reviewing 28 applications from 26 states, the Energy Department has selected five initial contenders to further explore building Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses,” U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. “These campuses will be massive generators of economic growth, create thousands of high-paying jobs, and be crucial to unleashing America’s nuclear renaissance.”
Gov. Kevin Stitt called the designation an opportunity to expand Oklahoma’s long-standing role as an energy-producing state.
“Oklahoma has always been America’s energy innovation leader, from the oil boom of the early 1900s to the shale revolution in the mid-2000s,” Stitt said. “Today marks a new frontier — the chance to add nuclear to our energy abundance agenda.”
Oklahoma’s bid moves to the next phase
The designation does not guarantee Oklahoma will receive one of the campuses.
Instead, Tuesday’s announcement moves the state into the next phase of the competition. The Department of Energy said it has signed memorandums of understanding with each of the five finalist states to continue evaluating proposals before selecting up to three locations. States that remain in the process would later negotiate hosting agreements with the department.
State officials also emphasized that no Oklahoma location has been selected.
According to the governor’s office, the state will now begin working with communities across Oklahoma to determine which municipalities are best positioned to host a campus if the state is ultimately chosen.
Oklahoma’s pursuit of the designation began months before Tuesday’s announcement. In March, the Oklahoma House adopted House Resolution 1041, a nonbinding resolution expressing support for the Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment’s application to the Department of Energy. The resolution cited Oklahoma’s energy infrastructure, skilled workforce, research institutions and available land as strengths in competing for a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus while encouraging federal officials to give full and fair consideration to the state’s application.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said Oklahoma’s abundant land, skilled workforce and existing energy infrastructure position the state to support the next generation of nuclear technology.
Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, called Oklahoma’s selection “another milestone” in the state’s long history of energy leadership and said lawmakers intend to continue making the case that Oklahoma is the best location for one of the campuses.
“Being named a finalist is an exciting opportunity for Oklahoma and a testament to the strength of our state’s energy industry, workforce and innovation,” Paxton said. “But this isn’t the finish line, it’s the beginning of the final stretch.”
The Department of Energy launched the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus initiative earlier this year to encourage states to develop regional hubs capable of supporting the nation’s expanding nuclear industry. States were asked to propose how a campus would advance workforce development, infrastructure investment, manufacturing capacity and technology deployment while strengthening domestic nuclear supply chains.
The five finalist states will now continue working with the Department of Energy as the agency evaluates proposals before selecting up to three campuses. Oklahoma officials have not identified a potential site, and the governor’s office said communities interested in hosting the project will be evaluated during the next phase of the process.
A new chapter for nuclear energy
If Oklahoma is ultimately selected, the project would mark the state’s most significant nuclear energy development in decades. Public Service Company of Oklahoma proposed the Black Fox Nuclear Power Plant near Inola in May 1973 but officially canceled the project on Feb. 16, 1982, after years of escalating costs, regulatory challenges and changing economic conditions.
Unlike the Black Fox proposal, the Department of Energy’s initiative envisions a broader nuclear technology campus that could combine research, advanced manufacturing, fuel production and advanced reactors in a single development rather than focusing solely on electricity generation.
If chosen as one of the final host states, Oklahoma would become home to one of the nation’s first Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses, potentially establishing the state as a long-term hub for advanced nuclear technology, manufacturing and energy innovation.
