Nuclear Power 2.0 Eyes Opportunity, Steep Climb in Coal Country

The nuclear power industry sees its future in coal country. Compact, next-generation reactors can plug into existing transmission lines at shuttered plants to bring zero-emission electricity and high-paying jobs to communities from Wyoming to West Virginia.

But realizing that vision—now backed by the Biden administration and Congress, with billions earmarked for the plan in last year’s historic infrastructure law—depends on winning over some of the most nuclear-skeptical places in the country. So the Energy Department is on an education mission to gain local support across rural America for what it believes can be a nuclear revival.

“We really, over time, ...