SB1588 SD1

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the United States is the world's largest producer of nuclear power. According to statistics from the United States Department of Energy, nearly a fifth of the nation's electricity comes from nuclear power each year. In 2023, domestic nuclear power plants generated seven hundred seventy-five billion kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to power over seventy-two million homes. The same year, nuclear energy also provided forty-eight per cent of carbon-free electricity in the United States, making it the largest domestic source of clean energy.

The legislature recognizes that nuclear energy has been quietly powering the United States with clean, carbon-free electricity for the last sixty years. Nuclear power plants do not emit greenhouse gases while generating electricity. They produce power by boiling water to create steam that spins a turbine, heated by a process called fission, which makes heat by splitting apart uranium atoms inside a nuclear reactor core. Nuclear energy is therefore considered to be a safe and efficient alternative to fossil fuels and a strong option for combating climate change when managed properly.

The legislature further finds that nuclear energy is one of the most reliable energy sources in the nation. Nuclear power plants are designed to run twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and require less maintenance to operate for longer stretches before refueling, typically every 1.5 to two years. The legislature notes that nuclear power plants operated at full capacity more than ninety-three per cent of the time in 2023, making it more reliable than coal, natural gas, wind, and solar plants.

Nuclear fuel is also extremely dense. Therefore the amount of used nuclear fuel is less than one would assume. According to the United States Department of Energy, the used nuclear fuel produced by the United States nuclear energy industry over the last sixty years could fit on a football field at a depth of less than ten yards.

The legislature further recognizes that many states, such as Georgia, Illinois, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, have turned to nuclear energy as a solution to tackle energy challenges and that nuclear power could also help the State achieve its clean energy goals.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to establish a nuclear energy task force to study the feasibility of using advanced nuclear power technologies in the State.

SECTION 2. (a) There is established a nuclear energy task force within the Hawaii state energy office to study the feasibility of using advanced nuclear power technologies in the State.

(b) The task force shall consist of the following members:

(1) The chief energy officer, who shall serve as chair of the task force;

(2) The director of health or their designee;

(3) The chairperson of the board of land and natural resources or their designee;

(4) A member of the senate, to be appointed by the president of the senate;

(5) A member of the house of representatives, to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

(6) A representative from the public utilities commission, to be appointed by the chairperson of the public utilities commission; and

(7) A representative from the university of Hawaii with expertise on nuclear energy, to be appointed by the president of the university of Hawaii.

(1) A representative from the United States Navy with expertise in nuclear energy generation, to be appointed by the Chief of Naval Operations of the United States Navy;

(2) A representative from a public utility that provides energy, to be appointed by the governor without regard to section 26-34, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

(3) A representative with expertise in nuclear energy generation or nuclear waste disposal, to be appointed by the governor without regard to section 26-34, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

(d) The task force shall:

(1) Study the feasibility of using advanced nuclear power technologies in the State;

(2) Evaluate the benefits, risks, and barriers to developing and using advanced nuclear power technologies in the State, including those relating to regulatory, statutory, financial, social, and environmental factors; and

(3) Identify potential short-term and long-term nuclear energy goals for the State.

(e) The task force shall submit an interim report of its progress, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2026, and shall submit a final report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than forty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2027.

(f) The task force shall be dissolved on December 31, 2027.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on May 13, 2040.

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	1588
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII