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County official says limited transmission has cost the region industries; presenters outline job and tax benefits of nuclear projects
Summary
A Carbon County commissioner said past economic opportunities were lost because transmission upgrades were too costly; industry presenters said nuclear projects could bring long‑term jobs and tax base growth, with construction and operations creating direct and indirect employment.
A county official closed the event by emphasizing a recurrent local challenge: insufficient transmission and distribution capacity has previously forced the county to turn away potential economic development projects. The official recounted two cost estimates for extending local distribution—one around $8 million to serve roughly 8 MW and another estimate of $42–62 million to deliver 100+ MW—to illustrate the scale and cost of bringing large customers online.
Presenters at the workshop said nuclear projects can create durable, generational jobs beyond nuclear engineers: mechanics, welders, pipefitters, operators, inspectors and security staff. One presenter cited a Nuclear Energy Institute statistic that each on‑site nuclear job typically supports about 2.5 additional jobs in the local economy; speakers argued that even a modest plant could meaningfully expand the tax base and local employment over decades. County officials said that extra supply could help communities retain or attract manufacturing and other large employers.
