Missouri plan proposes five ways to support nuclear power

Missouri’s 2026 State Energy Plan recommends five policy changes intended to support nuclear development, including new financing options and limited, conditional recovery of some project costs before a plant begins operating. The proposals are recommendations, not approvals: the plan does not authorize a nuclear plant, establish financing or grants, or change electricity rates.

The Department of Natural Resources released the plan in Jefferson City on Sept. 30, 2026. The Missouri Advanced Nuclear Energy Task Force met that day and received a briefing; the department published its account of the meeting on Oct. 1.

Five proposed nuclear measures

The department’s announcement lists five possible changes. One would authorize the Environmental Improvement and Energy Resources Authority to provide loans or other financial assistance for nuclear energy. Another would evaluate whether Missouri should create a Nuclear Power Authority to coordinate financing and development of nuclear generation and related transmission assets.

The plan also proposes converting the state’s Renewable Energy Standard into an Advanced Energy Standard. A fourth measure would allow limited cost recovery for advanced nuclear projects before commercial operation, but only with ratepayer protections and approval from the Public Service Commission. The fifth would create competitive grants for nuclear-qualified workforce development and academic infrastructure.

Those measures would require later state action as applicable. They do not establish current financing authority, grant programs or a construction project. Utilities and prospective developers could be affected if financing or cost-recovery rules change; workforce programs and academic institutions could be eligible for grants if such a program is created. The plan sets no immediate rate change for customers.

Energy supply and demand context

Nuclear power is one part of a wider strategy. The plan identifies four pillars: energy independence, nuclear enablement, economic growth and grid reliability. Its broader recommendations include encouraging investment in in-state generation, diversifying energy resources, continuing voluntary efficiency programs, pairing large electricity loads with customer-side measures and using multiple cost-effectiveness tests to assess distributed energy resources.

The plan’s website describes it as a policy-impact assessment that compares scenarios to inform decisions, rather than a prediction of which resources Missouri will build. Axios, citing the plan and a policy brief, reported projections of roughly one-third of energy output lost over 25 years and demand doubling over the same period. Those figures are projections, not realized changes.

Missouri’s electricity imports are another part of the context. The state shifted from net exporter to net importer over the past decade, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Axios, citing the U.S. Energy Information Administration, reported that Missouri has been a net importer since 2018 and imported 15.35 million more megawatt-hours than it exported in 2024.

The plan is intended to inform state and local decision-makers. Its recommendations could shape future policy on generation and project financing, but any effects on power projects, funding or customer costs depend on subsequent state action.