KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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De Soto has been making headlines this year with major projects like Panasonic and a new data center, and recently another project has been getting some attention. The city council passed a resolution expressing interest in a nuclear power project.
The wave of new development in De Soto is creating significant power demands that could exceed Evergy's current supply capacity, according to city administrator Mike Brungardt. Advanced manufacturing facilities and data centers require substantial energy resources.
"There is an interest in developing new technologies, green technologies, as well as just new power sources," Brungardt said.
The nuclear component involves TerraPower, a company founded by Bill Gates. The company explains that the nuclear reactor uses “high-temperature heat from the reactor to power a molten salt storage system that can retain tremendous amounts of energy, far greater than typical battery facilities.”
"There's a safety factor there that makes it far more safe than the traditional nuclear facilities," Brungardt said.
Brungardt explained that TerraPower might want to locate close to where the demand exists, which is why De Soto has expressed interest.
However, any nuclear facility could take decades to become operational. For now, De Soto is simply asking to be part of the conversation about this emerging technology.
"What really our interest is to remain in the conversation, to better understand the technology and how it could possibly impact" the city, Brungardt said.
De Soto is in the learning phase. If the city determines the project doesn't align with city goals, they can withdraw interest at any time.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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