A Festus resident that has been re-appointed to the Public Service Commission is looking forward to learning more tomorrow about Missouri’s next big role in the nuclear energy field.

Stephen Stoll (picture courtesy, the Public Service Commission)

Tomorrow is the first meeting of the Public Service Commission since Stephen Stoll was re-appointed. He’s looking forward to a presentation on the agreement between Westinghouse and Ameren to work together to develop and manufacture new Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs).

Stoll says he doesn’t have any preconceived notions about the project. He just wants to learn more about it.

“I’ve found that the process … works very well in that when a utility makes a proposal, they will offer all sorts of evidence and then there’s a rebuttal to the evidence that they offer … and then, a hearing and things that really help to bring out all facets of the issue. So that’s kind of what I’m anxious to get into.”

See our previous story on the Ameren-Westinghouse partnership.

Stoll spent six weeks on the Commission previously. His appointment was one of those withdrawn by the Governor amid objections from the Senate about how appointments were being made. No Senators voiced an objection to Stoll’s appointment in particular.

He says with the Westinghouse-Ameren partnership and in all Commission business, he sees his responsibilities as being the same. “I want to make sure that we continue to have reliability sources of electricity and natural gas and that people in Missouri continue to have a good environment in which people want to invest.”

The weekly meeting of the Public Service Commission is tomorrow at 9:30 at the Governor Office Building in Jefferson City.