State Public Service Commissioner Dusty Johnson says it could take several years to get a nuclear power plant in South Dakota.

Gov. Mike Rounds recently said the state could be the site of a nuclear plant in the future.

Johnson agrees that it's possible, but he says the process of locating such a power plant in South Dakota would be lengthy.

The PUC official says most of the regulatory process would be handled by the federal government.

Johnson says it would be a very costly investment for any utility to build a nuclear power plant, adding that those plants are most often located by large cities.