Show Notes
Could Nuclear Power be a solution to increasing electricity needs in the state and the nation?
In this episode, we learn about the nuclear topics considered during the 2025 legislative session and Oregon’s nuclear future. We also hear from a company developing small modular reactors about their technology and potential roles for nuclear power.
Guests: Max Woods, ODOE Assistant Director for Nuclear Safety and Energy Security, and Dr. Jose Reyes, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of NuScale Power.
Additional Resources Getting Grounded: Oregon’s History with Nuclear Power: https://soundcloud.com/oregonenergy/getting-grounded-oregons-history-with-nuclear-power Trojan Nuclear Site: https://www.oregon.gov/energy/safety-resiliency/Pages/Trojan-Site.aspx About Hanford: https://www.oregon.gov/energy/safety-resiliency/Pages/About-Hanford.aspx ODOE’s Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Program: https://www.oregon.gov/energy/safety-resiliency/Pages/Emergency-Preparedness.aspx Episode 14: NuScale’s New Scale for Nuclear (2018): https://soundcloud.com/oregonenergy/episode-14-nuscales-new-scale-for-nuclear?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing&si=c5cf695ab05142b4958f7d80be6bfd87
More from Grounded: a Podcast by the Oregon Department of Energy
School season is all year round for ODOE’s schools program team. School districts in Portland General Electric and Pacific Power territories, like Bend-LaPine, are eligible to use Public Purpose Charge Schools Program funds for energy audits, projects, or for electric vehicles or chargers. Energy efficiency is a key part of the Oregon Energy Strategy and provides a more comfortable learning environment for students and teachers.
Get grounded in energy fundamentals with our mini-episode series: Getting Grounded. Just what are heat pumps and what is a mini split? Get introduced to heat pumps -- an efficient way to heat and cool your home.
Portland General Electric and Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative discuss how they are planning for an increasing number of electric vehicles plugging into their networks and incentives available for customers.
ODOE’s 2026-2029 Strategic Plan is out now, and our guests walk us through the plan, sharing their hopes of how it will strengthen the agency’s efficiency and effectiveness as we work as a cohesive unit to address our greatest energy challenges.
All around us, natural and working lands – from forests, to crops, to wetlands, and parks – are putting in work to benefit Oregonians.