Reimagining Mines. Powering Tomorrow. Reigniting Missouri. 

Mine sites have a wide range of advantages that make them attractive for SMR and other energy development.  They have existing electrical transmission infrastructure that can be leveraged by a new system to transmit power. They can serve as safe, secure containment and protective structures reducing construction costs, and the sites already have many environmental surveys completed.  These factors have the potential to reduce construction costs (and times) that have challenged previous nuclear installation efforts.

On August 5, 2025 the Mines to Megawatts Symposium brought together experts from several fields to discuss strategic partnerships and critical steps necessary to bring nuclear energy to new and existing mine sites to support mining operations or repurposing sites for data centers or other technologies.  Dr. Wes Myers (LANL, retired) reviewed existing nuclear applications in underground spaces in Siberia and France, and potential applications in high-sensitivity component manufacturing in Switzerland.  He discussed some of the key site selection criteria and helped the audience envision what an underground nuclear reactor complex would look like.  Dr. Samuel Nowak (OptiRock Group) discussed characterizing mine sites for reactor applications, the similarities and differences in monitoring, and existing brown field sustainability initiatives.  Finally, Dr. Rami Saeed (INL) presented data showing how a properly managed integrated energy system could increase sustainable energy use and provide cost-effective heat and electricity to power-hungry industrial systems.  Throughout the day, the conversation frequently turned to the expansion of AI and data centers, and how mine sites can support new, high-tech industries.

The discussion that afternoon covered a range of topics.  The importance of careful site evaluation and selection to find the best potential locations came up several times.  There were also a lot of questions about the reactor licensing process, and how companies might be able to find support working through the regulatory framework.  There was a lot of excitement about the concept, but also a lot of uncertainty around the possible costs of a first-of-its-kind project.  At the end of the day, there were a few major action items that the participants coalesced around:

• Develop a life-cycle cost comparison between an above-ground and below-ground reactor project;
• Outline an advocacy plan to promote incentives for developing new reactor sites aligned with existing brownfield programs;
• Assemble a consortium to promote a common licensing approach for underground nuclear applications;
• Develop opportunities for interested groups to learn more about the early site permit process for reactor licensing.

After the symposium was over, work on these topics has continued.  The symposium organizers are working to develop an early site permit workshop through Missouri S&T’s St. Louis Corporate and Professional Education program.  And people are noticing.  A story about the Mines to Megawatts symposium was featured on Missouri S&T’s web page, and the Dean of the Kummer College interviewed the symposium organizer, Joshua Schlegel, about the recent interest in Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and how mine sites can benefit new reactors. Missouri S&T’s Advanced Reactor Consortium is bringing together industrial partners from all over the country to support research intended to boost the deployment of SMRs and advanced reactor technologies.

Those interested in collaborating with Missouri S&T on this and other topics are encouraged to reach out minestomegawatts@mst.edu for more information.