Meanwhile, Gov. Spencer Cox looks to amp up public support for new energy sources.
(TerraPower) This rendering shows the building layout for TerraPower’s fast sodium nuclear reactor and molten salt storage project planned for Kemmerer, Wyo.
Utah is one step closer to hosting a nuclear plant.
The Utah Office of Energy Development, land developer Flagship Companies and the Bill Gates-backed TerraPower announced Monday that they were officially on the hunt for a potential reactor and energy storage site in the Beehive State.
The parties signed a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, proclaiming they will work together in search of suitable locations for the facility and come up with a preliminary list by the end of the year.
“Utah has a proud history of energy innovation,” said Emy Lesofski, OED executive director, in a news release. “This agreement positions us to explore next-generation nuclear technology that can help meet our growing power needs while strengthening our energy independence,”
TerraPower’s “Natrium” technology uses molten sodium to cool its reactors instead of water, which is generally considered safer and more efficient at generating energy from uranium fuel than traditional nuclear plants.
The company broke ground on its first Natrium plant last year, near a retired coal plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming. It is expected to start producing energy in 2030.
Utah leadership and Rocky Mountain Power have worked with TerraPower to bring its next reactor online since at least 2022. Gov. Spencer Cox said nuclear aligned with his “all-of-the-above” energy strategy called “Operation Gigawatt,” meant to double the state’s energy production in the next decade.
“I don’t think people comprehend the amounts of power that are going to be needed, [and] that are needed right now,” Cox said in an interview with Bloomberg Monday, pointing to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and the energy-devouring data centers that power it.
The MOU is non binding, however, and local community support is one factor TerraPower will consider in selecting a future reactor site.
Recent polls show less than half of Utahns like the idea of building nuclear facilities in the state, but Cox plans to spend nearly $2 million on a messaging campaign meant to amp up public sentiment.
Emery County may find itself on TerraPower’s short list, since it’s already home to coal plants and the transmission lines that come with them. It also hosts the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab, which works with the molten salt technologies the company uses as part of its power storage process.
TerraPower will also evaluate physical site characteristics and whether the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will issue a permit as it explores potential reactor locations in Utah, according to the news release.
