West Virginia Signs DOE Memo, Becomes Sixth State Vying for Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced that the state has signed a memorandum of understanding with the US Department of Energy, becoming the sixth contender for a nuclear lifecycle innovation campus. Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah had already entered the competition. West Virginia did not appear on the preliminary shortlist in July 2026. Morrisey, speaking by phone, emphasized that the state has a large skilled workforce and industrial capacity. The state said it is willing to host spent nuclear fuel.

Mara Morales, acting deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and high-level waste disposition in the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy, said at the NECX conference that the relevant discussions must be open and transparent from the outset, and that everyone must understand that no matter how advanced the reactors they hope to build, waste will ultimately be produced and there must be a disposal site for it. Starting the conversation with the waste issue helps set the tone for the entire project, she said. The Department of Energy's initial screening received 28 applications from 26 states. A single campus could attract up to 50 billion US dollars in investment and create nearly 25,000 jobs.

The Department of Energy's nuclear energy launch platform program aims to accelerate nuclear energy development. The program recently expanded from an initial four projects to more than 15, involving more than ten companies. The expansion of the nuclear lifecycle innovation campus list has occurred in parallel with the expansion of this program.