Trace Creek, The Nuclear Company announce Prosperity One, with plans for up to six reactors along the Ohio River
The Carrs Bottom property along the Ohio River, long considered one of Lewis County’s most promising industrial development sites, has been identified as the location for a proposed nuclear generating campus that could become the largest in the United States.
Trace Creek and The Nuclear Company have announced a partnership to advance Prosperity One, a proposed development that could accommodate up to six Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactors with a combined generating capacity of approximately 6.6 gigawatts, or 6,600 megawatts.
The development team now owns or holds purchase options on more than 4,200 acres at Carrs Bottom, including the 738 acres purchased earlier this year by Lewis County businessman Sam Howard through Carrs Land LLC.
If fully developed as announced, Prosperity One would be Kentucky’s first commercial nuclear generating facility and, according to the companies, the nation’s largest nuclear power generating campus and one of the world’s largest.
The announcement marks a significant step in Howard’s efforts to bring major industrial investment to Carrs Bottom, a property west of Vanceburg considered for large-scale electric generation and other industrial uses for nearly 50 years.
It also provides the first public identification of a specific nuclear generating development in Lewis County following several months of local discussions, public educational meetings, and action by local governments concerning Kentucky’s Nuclear Energy Ready Community certification program.
The announcement does not mean a generating facility has been approved or that all six reactors will be constructed.
The Nuclear Company says it intends to begin detailed evaluations of the site immediately and pursue the federal approvals necessary to begin construction in 2028.
Howard, a lifelong Lewis County resident and CEO of Trace Creek Construction, acquired the original 738-acre tract July 1 as a private investment.
The Herald reported September 8 that Howard had acquired the property along KY 8 between Vanceburg and Concord and was aggressively marketing it for industrial development, including power generation.
At that time, Howard emphasized that no company had committed to the site and no specific development was being announced.
Today’s announcement identifies The Nuclear Company as Trace Creek’s partner in pursuing a nuclear generating campus at Carrs Bottom.
The original 738 acres were purchased for $8 million by Carrs Land LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trace Creek group of companies. Trace Creek LLC, another subsidiary, serves as the group’s property development company and manages properties through leaseback arrangements.
Howard confirmed that the development team has also executed options to purchase additional acreage from the original tract assembled by Kentucky Power nearly 50 years ago for a proposed coal-fired generating station.
The latest option agreement was executed Tuesday, bringing the land held outright or under purchase options by the development team to more than 4,200 acres of the approximately 4,500 acres originally assembled by Kentucky Power.
The additional acreage considerably expands the land available for evaluation as the companies consider a nuclear generating campus that could accommodate as many as six full-size reactors.
Howard said The Nuclear Company has site control through a teaming agreement with Trace Creek, allowing it to conduct the due diligence necessary to evaluate the property. That arrangement does not mean The Nuclear Company has purchased the land.
Howard has repeatedly expressed his desire to bring employment opportunities to Lewis County, where the loss of manufacturing and other traditional jobs has affected generations of families.
“I have nine grandchildren, and all of them live in Lewis County. I want them to have the opportunity to stay,” Howard said in making the announcement.
“For years, our county’s unemployment rate has been among the highest in the state. An infrastructure project like this could provide jobs and economic opportunities for generations of Eastern Kentucky residents. I am proud to help advance this development.”
Neither company provided estimates for construction or permanent jobs, a total anticipated investment, or a date when electricity generation might begin.
Those details will depend on additional planning, regulatory reviews, financing, and other decisions as the proposed development advances.
The proposed campus would use Westinghouse AP1000 reactors, a full-size commercial reactor design already operating in the United States and overseas.
Each unit would generate approximately 1,100 megawatts of electricity, with six units providing the proposed maximum of 6,600 megawatts.
The AP1000 differs from the small modular reactors (SMRs) discussed during Lewis County’s nuclear energy educational meetings.
The technology is already in commercial operation, including at Georgia’s Vogtle generating station, where two AP1000 units entered service in 2023 and 2024.
The Nuclear Company’s approach emphasizes standardized reactor technology and construction methods to develop nuclear generating capacity on a larger scale.
Joe Klecha, chief nuclear officer for The Nuclear Company, said the company’s goal is to combine its nuclear industry experience with local participation to create lasting economic opportunities.
“For generations, communities along the Ohio River have formed America’s industrial backbone,” Klecha said.
“We are proud to partner with the community to apply our team’s collective experience to deliver lasting jobs, a stronger tax base, and reliable power for Kentucky.”
Klecha has 33 years of nuclear experience, including service aboard US Navy nuclear submarines and operational leadership at commercial nuclear facilities. His experience includes construction and operational readiness responsibilities at Vogtle Units 3 and 4.
The Nuclear Company says its services division has performed maintenance at more than 40 percent of the nation’s currently operating nuclear power facilities.
The companies say initial work at Carrs Bottom will include detailed site characterization, geotechnical investigations, environmental assessments, planning for connections to the electric transmission system, and preparation for federal nuclear licensing.
The evaluations will help determine the property’s suitability and identify any additional infrastructure needed.
Planning will also address transportation, housing, water use, environmental stewardship, emergency preparedness, and other considerations associated with a nuclear generating campus of the proposed scale.
Construction of nuclear generating units would require authorization through the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which evaluates reactor safety, environmental effects, site characteristics, emergency planning, and other requirements.
The federal process includes opportunities for public participation.
The prospect of a major electric generating facility at Carrs Bottom is not new.
Nearly 50 years ago, Kentucky Power selected the property as a preferred location for a proposed 2.6-gigawatt coal-fired generating plant. That facility was never constructed.
Years later, American Electric Power again considered Carrs Bottom for a generating facility, this time using integrated gasification combined-cycle technology.
Neither proposal resulted in construction.
Howard said in his September account published in The Herald that he had held options to purchase the Carrs property since 2018 and spent years working to prepare and market it for industrial development.
He described an extensive effort that included environmental and engineering studies, site visits, and discussions with prospective industrial users.
The original 738-acre tract features approximately two miles of Ohio River frontage, a CSX railroad mainline crossing the property, and proximity to a 765-kilovolt electrical transmission line. It is also less than six miles from the AA Highway.
Those features have made Carrs Bottom attractive to industries requiring large sites, freight transportation, and substantial electrical infrastructure.
Howard has also acknowledged that major development would require additional site work, transportation improvements, and utility infrastructure.
In his September commentary, Howard emphasized that his objective was not limited to nuclear power generation. He said he was marketing the property for a variety of potential industrial uses and wanted residents to ask questions about any development being considered.
Today’s announcement identifies a specific partner and proposed use for Carrs Bottom, although engineering and regulatory evaluations remain ahead.
The announcement follows several months of local activity related to Kentucky’s Nuclear Energy Ready Community certification program.
Lewis County Fiscal Court unanimously approved an initial resolution in July supporting participation in the program. Vanceburg City Council subsequently approved a similar measure.
The process included an August public educational meeting at Lewis County High School and an October education fair where residents could speak with nuclear energy professionals and review information about reactor technology.
The meetings generated considerable interest, along with questions and opposition concerning nuclear safety, radioactive waste, the Ohio River, emergency preparedness, environmental impacts, and whether residents should have a direct vote on nuclear development.
The governing bodies of Lewis County, Vanceburg, and Concord later approved a second round of resolutions supporting the filing of an application for full certification.
Lewis County Fiscal Court approved its second resolution October 12 by a 4-1 vote, with Magistrate Woody Underwood casting the lone dissenting vote. Underwood had supported the initial resolution in July.
The resolutions concern the county’s participation in a state certification program, not authorization for a nuclear generating facility.
The October Fiscal Court resolution specifically states that seeking certification does not constitute approval or disapproval of any particular nuclear energy development, facility, developer, technology, location, incentive, public funding commitment, or other development-specific decision.
During a September Fiscal Court meeting, Buffalo Trace Area Development District Executive Director Kevin Cornette addressed rumors concerning nuclear development in Lewis County, emphasizing that no nuclear generating facility had been announced or submitted for federal licensing at that time.
He acknowledged that private industrial development activity was underway, including efforts to market the Carrs Bottom property.
Today’s announcement changes what has been publicly identified about the site, but it does not replace the separate federal and state processes required before a generating facility could be built.
The companies say they intend to work with landowners, community leaders, and residents as they evaluate the proposed development.
For Lewis County, the announcement adds a specific name, a proposed generating configuration, and a development partnership to a property that has long figured in local industrial development discussions.
Whether Prosperity One ultimately reaches construction, how many generating units might be built, and what economic and environmental effects it could have will depend on decisions and evaluations still ahead.
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