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Womble Bond Dickinson attorneys Andrew Averbach (Partner, D.C.), Tom Dougherty (Partner, Raleigh), Paul LeBlanc (Of Counsel, Houston), and Eric Munoz (Partner, Houston) represented the firm at the 2026 Texas Nuclear Summit. Presented by the Texas Nuclear Alliance, the event took place September 21-23 in Houston.

LeBlanc had the chance to tour nuclear energy research facilities at Texas A&M University. The team also had the opportunity to learn about innovative technologies and connect with industry stakeholders. Jeffrey Whittle, Head of Womble Bond Dickinson’s Global Energy and Natural Resources Industry Sector, joined the team for a dinner with firm clients.

The attendees offered the following key takeaways from the Summit:

“Nuclear energy remains one of the few issues receiving meaningful bipartisan support in Texas. Looking back just five years, it’s remarkable how much the conversation has shifted. Data center development, once broadly welcomed, is now encountering resistance in some areas, while nuclear energy is increasingly viewed as a critical component of future infrastructure.

Small modular reactors (SMRs) continue to gain attention as a potential solution to transmission constraints and growing power demands on the Texas grid.

Rebuilding and maintaining the nuclear supply chain is critical to not only growing the industry but helping innovators move from government-backed financing to more mainstream capital investment and financing sources.

Energy’s deep roots in Texas provide a strong foundation for nuclear advancement, with lessons from oil and gas, solar, wind and other energy sources, including development of complex projects, infrastructure, and markets, that can help accelerate the sector’s overall growth.

The future of nuclear in Texas is increasingly difficult to ignore, and it was exciting to hear directly from the innovators, policymakers, investors, and operators driving that growth.

Texas considers itself the ‘Energy Capital of the World’ and while the Summit focused on nuclear industry developments in the Lone Star State, it was clear that the opportunities and challenges discussed at the Summit are equally applicable around the country – opportunities that WBD’s nuclear energy practice is pursuing.”