West Virginia Joins Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Center Program

On September 9, 2026, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced that the state has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to join the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Center (NLIC) program, becoming the sixth participating state.

Earlier this year, the DOE had identified Idaho, Tennessee, Utah, Oklahoma, and Louisiana as potential host states. With West Virginia's addition, the state will work with the DOE to evaluate potential sites and advance possible host agreements.

According to reports, the NLIC program aims to support activities across the full nuclear fuel lifecycle, including fuel fabrication, recycling, advanced reactor deployment, and nuclear power generation. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright stated that each center is expected to attract $50 billion in capital investment.

Morrisey stated that West Virginia possesses the energy, workforce, and industrial base to supply steel and manufactured components for related projects both within and outside the state. State officials believe this partnership could drive nuclear energy investment, advanced manufacturing growth, and create thousands of energy and manufacturing jobs.

Morrisey also noted that West Virginia recently announced over $81 billion in new private sector investment, bringing the state's total announced investment to approximately $96 billion since October 2025, with an expected creation of more than 19,000 jobs.