For decades, building new nuclear power in New Jersey was essentially off the table. That’s changed quickly. As the New Jersey Utilities Association recently wrote, New Jersey has gone from “no nukes” to actively pursuing new nuclear generation. The association’s support adds another important voice to a growing coalition that recognizes the same basic reality: New Jersey needs more reliable, in-state baseload power.

Earlier this year, the state removed a regulatory barrier that had effectively blocked new nuclear development for nearly 50 years. It created a Nuclear Task Force to focus on financing, technology, workforce needs, permitting, and public confidence. Then lawmakers unanimously approved the Power NJ Act, establishing a competitive process to pursue at least 1,100 megawatts of new nuclear generation. The law includes important protections intended to keep construction costs and overruns from being passed along to ratepayers.

That’s real progress. It is also a remarkable turnaround for a state that once treated nuclear power as something to avoid, even while significantly relying on it.

Support for nuclear energy is no longer limited to plant operators or traditional energy advocates. It now includes leaders from both political parties, organized labor, the business community, and the utilities that deliver power to customers statewide.

The reason is straightforward. Nuclear power operates around the clock, produces electricity at scale and strengthens the dependable supply our grid needs. At a time when electricity demand is increasing and New Jersey families and businesses are paying more, we cannot afford to dismiss a proven source of reliable power.

But momentum alone will not produce a single new megawatt.

• The Board of Public Utilities must move promptly to begin the competitive procurement process required by the Power NJ Act.
• State officials must identify viable sites, coordinate permitting, pursue available federal financing and begin preparing the workforce and supply chain that new nuclear development will require.
• New Jersey must also support the continued operation of Salem and Hope Creek while new generation is developed. New nuclear facilities will take years to plan, approve and construct.

Protecting the reliable power we already have is just as important as building what comes next. New Jersey has finally changed the conversation. The question is no longer whether nuclear belongs in our energy future. Now the state must keep taking the practical steps needed to make that future real.