More than a decade after Wisconsin’s Kewaunee Power Station shut down, developers are seeking approval to bring the facility back online — a move that has many locals both hopeful and cautious.
The Utah-based company EnergySolutions, which purchased the shuttered plant in 2022, has applied to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for permission to restart operations. The plant, located in the town of Carlton (population of around 1,000), closed in 2013 after nearly 40 years of operation, dealing a major economic blow to the community.
Town board chair David Hardtke told Wisconsin Public Radio that the town’s annual budget once relied heavily on utility tax revenue from the plant.
“Residents of the town of Carlton are in favor of it because we have nuclear waste sitting there, so we can’t do anything else with the property,” Hardtke said. “So the best use for it would be to produce more power.”
Still, not everyone is without reservations. Many in the agricultural community worry that the project could attract data centers and solar developers eager to take advantage of the site’s robust energy infrastructure — potentially threatening local farmland.
“They’re just crawling out of the woodwork right now, trying to eat up the farmland,” Hardtke said. “People like the quiet community.”
Experts say Carlton’s situation reflects a broader trend. According to University of Wisconsin-Madison nuclear engineering professor Ben Lindley, more data centers are “co-locating” with nuclear plants to secure reliable power directly from the source.
“Energy needs from data centers can motivate new generation assets,” Lindley explained. “Especially firm sources of power like nuclear energy that have a very high reliability and also as a clean, secure source of electricity.”
The debate around the Kewaunee site underscores the complex role of nuclear power in the clean energy transition.
Advocates say nuclear energy provides large amounts of low-carbon electricity, supporting both grid stability and energy security — especially as demand rises from industries like tech and AI. Critics, however, point to radioactive waste, safety risks, high upfront costs, and long approval timelines that can stretch into decades.
EnergySolutions has indicated that, even with approval, the process could take three to four years for licensing and another eight to 10 years for construction — meaning Carlton’s nuclear future remains years away.
Those logistics and safety considerations are why many experts — such as Amory Lovins, sometimes referred to as the “Einstein of energy efficiency” — point to renewable energy such as solar and wind as cheaper and faster low-carbon solutions, though nuclear is still generally superior to coal when it comes to both human and environmental health.
But for residents, the prospect of bringing clean power — and economic stability — back to town is enough to spark cautious optimism.
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