Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus

2025-2026 Bill 936: Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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S. 936
STATUS INFORMATION
Joint Resolution
Sponsors: Senators Davis, Young, Garrett, Stubbs, Martin, Johnson, Hembree, Elliott, Fernandez, Gambrell, Bennett, Blackmon, Climer, Grooms, Campsen, Cromer, Turner, Sutton, Kennedy, Walker, Tedder, Williams, Rankin, Hutto, Cash, Graham and Alexander
Document Path: LC-0314HA26.docx
Introduced in the Senate on February 18, 2026
Introduced in the House on May 5, 2026
Last Amended on April 29, 2026

Currently residing in the House Committee on
Labor, Commerce and Industry
Summary: Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

2/18/2026

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 6
)

2/18/2026

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
Senate Journal-page 6
)

4/28/2026

Senate

Recalled from Committee on
Judiciary
(
Senate Journal-page 4
)

4/29/2026

Senate

Amended (
Senate Journal-page 104
)

4/29/2026

Senate

Read second time (
Senate Journal-page 104
)

4/29/2026

Senate

Roll call Ayes-42 Nays-0 (
Senate Journal-page 104
)

4/30/2026

Senate

Read third time and sent to House (
Senate Journal-page 41
)

5/5/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 15
)

5/5/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Labor, Commerce and Industry
(
House Journal-page 15
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
02/18/2026
04/28/2026
04/29/2026

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Amended

April 29, 2026

S. 936

Introduced by Senators Davis, Young, Garrett,
Stubbs, Martin, Johnson, Hembree, Elliott, Fernandez, Gambrell, Bennett,
Blackmon, Climer, Grooms, Campsen, Cromer, Turner, Sutton, Kennedy, Walker,
Tedder, Williams, Rankin, Hutto, Cash, Graham and Alexander

S. Printed 4/29/26--S.

Read the first time February 18, 2026

________

A joint Resolution

TO AFFIRM THE COMMITMENT
OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO SECURING SOUTH CAROLINA'S ROLE AS THE
NATION'S PREMIER HOST FOR A NUCLEAR LIFECYCLE INNOVATION CAMPUS; TO RECOGNIZE
SOUTH CAROLINA'S UNMATCHED LEADERSHIP IN NUCLEAR ENERGY, NATIONAL SECURITY, AND
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING; AND TO DIRECT A UNIFIED, COMPETITIVE STATE RESPONSE TO
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY'S REQUEST FOR INFORMATION.

Amend Title To Conform

W
hereas,
on January 28, 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy issued a Request for
Information seeking state partners to host integrated Nuclear Lifecycle
Innovation Campuses spanning the full civilian nuclear value chain,
representing one of the most consequential federal economic and national
security initiatives in a generation; and

W
hereas,
a series of Presidential Executive Orders signed in 2025, addressing domestic
nuclear fuel supply chains, advanced reactor deployment, critical
infrastructure resilience, and modernization of federal regulatory processes,
have established as a matter of urgent national priority the rebuilding of
America's nuclear industrial base and the restoration of American global
leadership in nuclear technology, making this moment a defining opportunity for
states positioned to lead, and no state is better positioned to seize that
opportunity than South Carolina; and

W
hereas,
South Carolina's decades-long partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy
through the Savannah River Site and the Savannah River National Laboratory has
produced an unparalleled record of safe, mission-critical nuclear operations
and has established the State as a trusted steward of the nation's most
sensitive nuclear assets; and

W
hereas,
South Carolina ranks first in the nation in nuclear employment concentration,
with a deep and proven workforce spanning nuclear engineering, fuel cycle
services, materials management, nuclear-grade precision manufacturing, and
radiochemical processing, all of which is supported by the state's research
universities, technical college system, registered apprenticeship programs, and
a veteran workforce; and

W
hereas,
South Carolina produces approximately fifty percent of the nation's nuclear
fuel, making the State not merely a participant in the domestic nuclear supply
chain but its backbone, and a critical bulwark against foreign energy
dependence; and

W
hereas,
nuclear energy generates approximately half of South Carolina's electricity,
one of the highest shares in the nation, demonstrating the state's enduring
commitment to reliable baseload power, grid stability, and long-term energy
security; and

W
hereas,
the South Carolina Energy Security Act of 2025 provides a durable policy
foundation for nuclear development, signaling to federal partners and private
investors that South Carolina is serious, stable, and ready; and

W
hereas,
the South Carolina General Assembly, through Senate Bill S. 51, ratified in May
2025 as Act 73, encouraged Santee Cooper to solicit competitive private sector
bids for the restart and completion of V.C. Summer Nuclear Units 2 and 3, the
partially constructed reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in
Jenkinsville, South Carolina, that were abandoned in 2017; and

W
hereas,
acting pursuant to Act 73, Santee Cooper conducted a competitive solicitation
process and awarded a contract to Brookfield Renewable Partners for the restart
and completion of V.C. Summer Units 2 and 3, marking an historic recommitment
to domestic nuclear construction and positioning South Carolina as the site of
what would be the first new nuclear reactors completed in the United States in
a generation; and

W
hereas,
the restart and completion of V.C. Summer Units 2 and 3 will add approximately
2,200 megawatts of new, carbon-free baseload nuclear generating capacity to
South Carolina's grid, further deepening the state's already exceptional
concentration of nuclear generation assets and operational expertise; and

W
hereas,
the decision to restart and complete V.C. Summer Units 2 and 3 demonstrates
South Carolina's unique capacity to support the full nuclear lifecycle, from
fuel production and reactor construction to long-term operations and workforce
development, and provides compelling additional evidence that South Carolina is
ideally qualified to serve as the site of a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation
Campus, where the full civilian nuclear value chain can be advanced in a state
that is not merely planning for a nuclear future, but actively building one;
and

W
hereas,
the Savannah River Site currently stores more than 33 million gallons of legacy
high-level radioactive waste as well as substantial quantities of spent nuclear
fuel, and while the General Assembly opposes any expansion of the State's role
as a destination for nuclear waste beyond its existing legal obligations, the
legacy materials stored at the Savannah River Site and the nuclear materials
the State is already obligated to receive under existing agreements represent
longstanding remediation obligations that the State has an interest in
discharging as completely and efficiently as possible; and

W
hereas,
a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus designation would position South Carolina
to deploy advanced nuclear fuel cycle technologies, including, without
limitation, electrochemical reprocessing, pyroprocessing, and molten salt
extraction, to convert waste streams and nuclear materials already present at
the Savannah River Site and those the State is otherwise obligated to receive
into usable fuel for advanced reactors, thereby reducing stored waste volume
and toxicity while generating economic value; and

W
hereas,
hosting a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus would bring to South Carolina
high-wage employment, billions in private capital investment, advanced
manufacturing growth, and sustained economic development extending across urban
centers and rural communities near the state's existing federal and industrial
assets, and opportunity that South Carolina must not allow to pass to another
state; and

W
hereas,
strengthening domestic nuclear capabilities is not merely an economic matter
but a strategic imperative that reduces reliance on foreign fuel services,
reinforces America's defense posture, and restores the technological leadership
that underpins our nation's security and global influence; and

W
hereas,
South Carolina's record of safe nuclear operations, rigorous environmental
monitoring, and transparent community engagement provides the foundation of
public trust essential to the long-term success of a federal initiative of this
magnitude; and

W
hereas,
the South Carolina Department of Commerce, through SC Nexus, has convened a steering
committee of leaders drawn from state agencies, research universities, the
Savannah River National Laboratory, private industry, utilities, workforce
institutions, and economic development organizations, demonstrating that South
Carolina does not merely express interest but is already organized, aligned,
and moving; and

W
hereas,
South Carolina stands ready to advance national security, energy security, and
economic prosperity through full and competitive participation in this federal
initiative, and the General Assembly is determined that South Carolina shall
make the strongest possible case.

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1. This
joint resolution may be cited as the "South Carolina Nuclear Innovation Campus
Support Joint Resolution."

S
ECTION 2.
F
or purposes of this joint resolution:

(
1) "Request for
Information" means the solicitation issued January 28, 2026, by the U.S.
Department of Energy seeking state partners to host Nuclear Lifecycle
Innovation Campuses.

(
2) "Nuclear
Lifecycle Innovation Campus" means an integrated environment supporting one or
more elements of nuclear research, development, demonstration, deployment, fuel
cycle services, materials management, advanced manufacturing, and workforce
development.

(
3) "State
response" means a coordinated submission developed by the State of South
Carolina in response to the Request for Information.

(
4) "V.C. Summer
Units 2 and 3" means the partially constructed nuclear reactor units at the
V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Jenkinsville, South Carolina, the restart and
completion of which was encouraged pursuant to Act 73 of 2025.

S
ECTION 3. The
General Assembly finds that South Carolina's nuclear infrastructure, workforce,
research institutions, and proven operational record make it uniquely suited to
host a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus, and that doing so would advance
national security by reducing dependence on foreign nuclear fuel and services,
support defense-related missions and critical infrastructure, reinforce
American technological leadership, generate high-wage employment, attract
transformative private investment, and strengthen advanced manufacturing
throughout the State.

T
he General Assembly
further finds that the enactment of Act 73 of 2025, encouraging Santee Cooper
to solicit private sector bids for the completion of V.C. Summer Units 2 and 3,
and Santee Cooper's subsequent award of that contract to Brookfield Renewable
Partners, reflects South Carolina's demonstrated willingness to act decisively
to advance nuclear energy development, and that the active restart and completion
of those reactors will provide a singular operational asset - new nuclear
construction underway within the state's borders - that no other prospective
host state can offer to the federal government in connection with a Nuclear
Lifecycle Innovation Campus.

T
he General Assembly
further finds that the convening of a public-private steering committee by the
South Carolina Department of Commerce reflects the coordinated, collaborative
approach this initiative demands, and that the General Assembly's formal
expression of support strengthens South Carolina's competitive position before
the federal government.

T
he General Assembly
further finds that a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus designation presents a
singular opportunity to more fully and efficiently address the more than 33
million gallons of legacy high-level radioactive waste at the Savannah River Site
and the nuclear materials South Carolina is already obligated to receive under
existing agreements, and that the advanced reprocessing technologies such a
campus would bring offer the prospect of converting those materials into usable
nuclear fuel, reducing stored waste volume and toxicity, and accelerating the
State's remediation timeline.

T
he General Assembly
further finds and declares that its support for advanced reprocessing
technologies is limited in scope to nuclear materials already present at the
Savannah River Site and materials South Carolina is obligated to receive under
existing legal agreements; that deploying these technologies to manage this
universe of materials serves the State's direct interest in discharging its
existing obligations more completely and reducing long-term storage burdens;
and that nothing in this joint resolution shall be construed as consent to
receive, process, or store nuclear waste beyond what South Carolina is already
legally obligated to accept.

S
ECTION 4. The
General Assembly expresses its support for the development of the strongest
possible competitive State response to the U.S. Department of Energy's Request
for Information, and affirms South Carolina's readiness, capability, and
commitment to serve as a premier host for an integrated Nuclear Lifecycle
Innovation Campus or one or more components thereof consistent with federal
guidance. The General Assembly further affirms that the restart and completion
of V.C. Summer Nuclear Units 2 and 3, undertaken pursuant to Act 73 of 2025,
exemplifies the type of bold, forward-looking action that distinguishes South
Carolina from other states and that makes this State the preeminent candidate
to host a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus.

N
othing in this joint
resolution shall be construed as committing the State to a specific site,
geographic region, fuel cycle activity, or financial obligation, and any future
decisions regarding siting, funding, or formal agreements shall require separate
legislative authorization and appropriate oversight. Each agency or subdivision
of the state to which this joint resolution applies shall take all necessary
actions to ensure that costs associated with the development of the State
response and any subsequent actions taken to implement the State response are
not unreasonably borne by South Carolina taxpayers or utility ratepayers.

S
ECTION 5. Within
thirty days after the effective date of this joint resolution, each agency or
subdivision of the State to which this joint resolution applies shall receive a
copy of this resolution and shall take all necessary actions to ensure full
collaboration in furtherance of its purposes. This section does not apply to
units of local government.

S
ECTION 6. The
provisions of this joint resolution shall be liberally construed to effectuate
its purposes.

S
ECTION 7. This joint resolution takes effect
upon approval by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on April 29, 2026 at 9:29 PM