SB 549

This bill directs several Virginia state agencies—including the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, and the Secretary of Education—to collaborate with the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority to develop a strategic plan for incorporating nuclear energy into the Commonwealth's transition to carbon-free energy sources. The plan must be completed by October 1, 2020, and updated every four years thereafter. The bill's main purpose is to ensure nuclear energy is formally considered and planned for as part of Virginia's renewable and carbon-free energy strategy, recognizing nuclear power as a potential component of the state's clean energy future.