MARSHALL — This week, Lyon County commissioners added their voices to a group of Minnesota counties trying to make future nuclear energy development possible in the state.

At Tuesday’s county board meeting, commissioners voted to sign a resolution urging legislators to lift the moratorium on new nuclear energy development in Minnesota.

Lyon County Administrator Loren Stomberg said the topic was raised by a letter from Sherburne County commissioners.

“Sherburne County has contacted all the other counties in the state, asking for a resolution in support of repealing the moratorium on nuclear energy,” Stomberg said.

In the letter, Sherburne County commissioners said allowing new nuclear power facilities would help create “safe, clean and reliable baseload energy for all Minnesotans, especially as the state advances its 20240 goal for 100% carbon-free electricity generation.”

Sherburne County Commissioners were asking other counties to join the Minnesota Nuclear Energy Alliance (MNEA), a partnership calling on state lawmakers to lift the nuclear moratorium in Minnesota.

“Through our administrators’ group, I see a lot of counties will be taking this up, either today or probably before the end of the year,” Stomberg said Tuesday.

Stomberg said he also knew of a couple of counties that had opted not to take action.

Minnesota currently has two nuclear energy facilities: the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant in Monticello, and the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant in Red Wing. According to information on Xcel Energy’s corporate website, the two plants supply more than 23% of Minnesota’s electricity.

“I know repealing the moratorium has been on (the Association of Minnesota Counties’) agenda for many years,” Stomberg said.

“I think, what they’re after – it’s another form of energy,” Commissioner Gary Crowley said of the efforts to lift the nuclear energy moratorium.

Commissioner Paul Graupmann said there was research going on for smaller kinds of nuclear energy facilities than the two plants currently running in Minnesota. But with the moratorium in place, the state was “behind the ball” on trying to develop those kinds of energy solutions, he said.

Commissioner Rick Anderson said he thought the discussion about nuclear energy was something that could fall into Minnesota counties’ wheelhouse.

“We have to deal with wind and solar all the time. What difference is this, in power?” Anderson asked. “It’s a clean form of energy.”

“If we vote in favor to do this, it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,” Crowley said of nuclear energy development. “But at least it gives consideration that it could happen,” he said.

Commissioner Thomas Andries moved to sign a resolution encouraging the repeal of the nuclear energy moratorium. Commissioners voted unanimously in favor.