A plan for Utah nuclear energy industry's foundation is taking shape

Yahoo

28-01-2025

The Capitol in Salt Lake City is pictured on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
Can Utah become the energy capital of the country? The Legislature is willing to explore that, aiming to become pioneers in nuclear energy developments, creating a set of governing bodies that are expected to oversee energy development zones and, overall, setting a foundation for the future of nuclear power in Utah.
HB249, or Nuclear Power Amendments, a big bill sponsored by Rep. Carl Albretch, R-Richfield, creates the Nuclear Energy Consortium and the Utah Energy Council, which would lead the way to designate energy development zones throughout the state. The House Public Utilities and Energy Committee voted unanimously to recommend the bill for the full House's consideration.
It may take awhile before nuclear energy is powering electricity-hungry data centers across the state. But, Albrecht said on Monday, this is a starter for the nuclear industry in the state — and other resources in Utah's energy mix.
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'Anybody that knows anything about energy will tell you that unless the new administration on the federal level loosens up regulation for nuclear, we're still 10, 12-plus years down the road to have a fully operating nuclear plant in the state of Utah,' he said. 'However, there are SMRs that have been developed, small modular reactors. They can be put on the back of a truck as big as this room and placed somewhere.'
In line with Republican leadership's main goals for this legislative session to allow the construction of small nuclear reactors in Utah, the council would oversee site identification — including state lands — permitting, financial plans for the projects, and other strategies for energy development.
During the committee hearing Albrecht praised nuclear power as being clean and plentiful. And while most data centers have expressed a desire to have 'green-washed' power, as he described it, meaning mostly wind and solar, those resources are intermittent.
'I think we need to be on the cutting edge in the state of Utah, as we are on a lot of things, and start down this nuclear path,' he said.
But, some Utahns, looking at a long history of nuclear disasters, remained skeptical of the state's plans.
The bill has 25 pages, which Albrecht said is oddly long for him. However, there are many moving parts in it. The Utah Energy Council, for example, will have appointees from legislative leadership, the governor's office and the Office of Energy Development.
With this bill, the state is also expected to work alongside counties, cities and towns in the process of establishing 'energy development zones.' These areas will only go to the municipalities that want and approve them, Albrecht said, and will be evaluated according to their suitability in hosting energy infrastructure projects, which includes factors such as access to energy resources and proximity to existing transmission lines.
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The legislation calls for public incentives restrictions to avoid 'pitting one county against the other in a bidding process.' Tax increment from the energy zones will be allocated to the Energy Development Investment Fund for the council to administer for energy infrastructure development. But, the council is required to consult with municipalities to determine a tax sharing plan.
The fund can also be used to match funds from federal grants, Albrecht said, which lawmakers are already counting on.
'If the Trump administration decides we're going to move forward on energy and 'drill, baby, drill,' then there probably will be some federal energy grants,' he said.
If the bill passes, there would also be an energy research boost, since Utah would also form a research board with representatives from The University of Utah, Utah State University, the Commissioner of Higher Education, and the Idaho National Laboratory, among others.
The committee's public comment period saw a mix of approval and concern over the unintended consequences of hosting a nuclear reactor.
The bill has the support of the executive branch, some officials said on Monday. It's building momentum and advancing on past state efforts, such as the San Rafael Energy Lab, Joel Ferry, executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, told the committee.
But, the bill was also presented during the National Day of Remembrance for American Downwinders, which commemorates those who died from cancer or other diseases caused by nuclear radiation exposure from U.S. weapons testing, a big reminder of what could go wrong if the resources are mishandled.
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'The government representatives had so much enthusiasm for the very legitimate positive benefits of nuclear that they failed to grasp and account for the very severe dangers associated with it,' Mike Maxwell, who identified himself as a former employee of a nuclear power producer, said. 'Nuclear energy is powerful; it can also be incredibly dangerous to all the living things on this planet.'
Maxwell asked lawmakers to keep working on the bill, since it lacks an oversight process for health and environmental issues in the application of energy zones.
Ava Curtis, who's pursuing a career in environmental studies, said that while she understands the need to opt for low-carbon energy sources, her family's health history is a constant reminder of why she believes nuclear isn't the way to go.
'My mom worked at the uranium labs. She used to look out the window of her office to see the river below her office glowing, something her boss told her happens all the time and with no cause for concern,' she said. 'Cancer and genetic disorders are incredibly high in the community, including in my own family.'
She urged that those who have been the most impacted by nuclear energy have a voice in the energy council, including indigenous communities that have been at the center of the uranium industry.
Albrecht, however, defended his bill, arguing that nuclear electricity generation is different from what caused those health problems throughout history.
'Our cemeteries are full of people who were affected by the downwind, but that was the government lying to us, as somebody said, and that was caused by above-ground test blasts,' he said. 'It was not caused by the generation of electric power.'
The technology keeps improving, Albrecht said, getting to a point where it's safer and waste could be processed again. The bill is still a work in progress and 'probably does need some work on health and safety,' but it's a start, he said.
Now, how much will it cost?
'There'll be some great shock,' Albrecht said about the price. 'But this will not be a plant tomorrow or the next day or the next year. This plant generation is going to be 10, 15 years down the road, and hopefully technology improves and we regenerate power with zero carbon.'
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