On May 22, 2023, Dominion Engineering (not affiliated with Dominion Energy) released a feasibility study looking at potential sites for hosting a small modular reactor (SMR) in Southwest Virginia. The study was funded by the Virginia Department of Energy and GO Virginia Region One. The study evaluated the counties of Lee, Wise, and Scott because the counties have inexpensive brownfield sites, mine water for cooling, existing right of way for transmission infrastructure, and existing rail infrastructure. Each county has also experienced a decrease in employment at local coal mines and a need for transformative industries to spur economic and workforce opportunity growth. The study identified seven potential sites and considered technical feasibility, estimated cost, health and safety considerations, socioeconomic factors, and economic effects. It also looked at co-benefits from siting SMRs in the region including interest from data centers and other industrial developers. The full feasibility study can be found here.