The governor of the US state of Indiana, Mike Braun, has signed a nonbinding letter of intent that will see the state’s Office of Energy Development (OED) and Indiana-based pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly collaborate to explore potential nuclear projects.

The projects will focus on “small modular reactors and other advanced nuclear technologies” that could provide “baseload power for industrial, research, and community uses”, according to the LOI.

This partnership will tackle each major component of early-stage project development: evaluating technologies, regulatory pathways, opportunities to attract private capital and federal support, and workforce supply chain needs and opportunities.