South Carolina S 936: Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 936 Text of Previous Version (Apr. 29, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 936

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

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

Whereas, 
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 

Whereas, 
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

Whereas, 
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

Whereas, 
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

Whereas, 
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

Whereas, 
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

Whereas, 
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

Whereas, 
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 

Whereas, 
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

Whereas, 
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 

Whereas, 
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 
developm