(WKYT) – A private company is pitching what could become Kentucky’s first commercial nuclear power project, a large energy campus along the Ohio River in Lewis County.
The Nuclear Company has announced plans for “Prosperity One,” a proposed site the company says could eventually host up to six Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactors, producing a combined 6.6 gigawatts of electricity if fully built out.
“For generations, communities along the Ohio River have formed America’s industrial backbone,” said Joe Klecha, chief nuclear officer for The Nuclear Company. “We are proud to partner with the community to apply our team’s collective experience to deliver lasting jobs, a stronger tax base, and reliable power for Kentucky.”
The project would be built on privately owned land. Sam Howard, a lifelong Lewis County resident and the landowner partnering with the company, said he sees the proposal as a way to keep future generations in the county.
“I have nine grandchildren, and all of them live in Lewis County. I want them to have the opportunity to stay,” Howard said. “For years, our county’s unemployment rate has been among the highest in the state. An infrastructure project like this could provide jobs and economic opportunities for generations of Eastern Kentucky residents.”
Company leaders say construction of the full Prosperity One campus could create thousands of jobs, along with hundreds of long-term operating jobs at each reactor, though specific hiring numbers, pay ranges and timelines have not yet been released.
Klecha, a former U.S. Navy nuclear submariner and licensed senior reactor operator, said the company plans to begin early site development and seek federal approvals with a goal of starting construction in 2028, if regulators sign off.
Prosperity One would still have to go through a lengthy review and licensing process with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Early work is expected to include detailed site characterization, geotechnical investigations, environmental assessments, and transmission interconnection planning.
Local officials in Lewis County have already taken steps to position the area for nuclear development. The county moved this summer to pursue “nuclear ready community” status through the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority, held public meetings, and recently voted to submit its application.
The Nuclear Company says project planning will address transportation, housing, water use, environmental stewardship, and emergency preparedness as part of evaluating a nuclear campus of this scale.
No construction can begin until federal and state regulators complete their reviews and issue the necessary permits and licenses, and no timeline has been given for when those decisions could be made.
