Gov. Cox announces preliminary plans for nuclear power facility in the Brigham City area

BRIGHAM CITY — A nuclear power generating facility is coming to the Brigham City area, though maybe not until the early 2030s, officials announced Monday.

Gov. Spencer Cox joined Brigham City Mayor D.J. Bott and representatives from two firms involved in building nuclear infrastructure, Hi Tech Solutions and Holtec International, to unveil plans to develop four to 10 small modular reactors, or SMRs, in the Brigham City area and beyond. The planned nuclear reactor power plant — one of the first of its type in the nation — would generate energy, possibly for civilian and military use.

“We are here to celebrate a combined effort that will play a key role in powering Utah for generations to come,” said Cox.

Jeff Moss, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, stated that the plans entail a private-sector investment of $750 million and the creation of approximately 750 construction jobs to complete the project. The plans would create perhaps 600 long-term jobs.

Many details have yet to be revealed, but the project also entails development of “a nuclear hub that creates the parts needed to operate and run advanced nuclear technologies like SMRs, not just here but all over the world,” the governor said. Officials also envision partnering with educational institutions to develop the workforce needed for the project.

“The benefits of this project will ripple beyond, of course, just Brigham City, advancing the goals of Operation Gigawatt and securing Utah’s role as a leader in nuclear power generation for generations to come,” Cox said. By creating the supply chains to develop small modular reactors to meet local and national power needs “we don’t just increase Utah’s energy security and independence, we increase our national security, which is more important than ever before.”

Rick Springman, Holtec’s president of global clean energy opportunities, envisions the development of perhaps four small modular reactors in Brigham City and possibly 10 in total around Utah. They’re typically developed in pairs, with an energy-generating capacity of 640 megawatts between the two reactors. Officials didn’t pinpoint the potential sites.

Cox has prioritized energy production in Utah, underscored by his administration’s Operation Gigawatt initiative, meant to bolster energy production. He and other Utah lawmakers believe nuclear energy needs to be a key factor in meeting growing power needs.

“We need more energy. Utah needs more energy. The United States needs more energy. The free world needs more energy,” said Stuart Adams, the president of the Utah Senate and one of several speakers at Monday’s announcement.

Adams noted the increasing importance of artificial intelligence in U.S. defense and the energy the technology needs, underscoring what he believes to be the importance of the Brigham City initiative. “Energy production is a national security issue,” he said.

Brigham City Mayor D.J. Bott said more details and timeline information would be announced in “the coming months.” The impact, though, will be significant.

“This ecosystem will be generationally transformative for our families, our community and our state as well as a template for the nation,” he said. “We won’t have to export our children and grandchildren to find good careers.”

Use of nuclear energy has prompted worries among some worried about environmental contamination. But Joel Ferry, director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, said the newest nuclear technology is cleaner and safer than before and uses little water.

An Oregon-based firm, NuScale Power, had been mulling a small modular nuclear reactor power plant in partnership with the Idaho National Laboratory and a group of Utah utilities, including Brigham City Public Power. But the plans were abandoned in 2023, according to Associated Press and the Herald Journal newspaper. The proposal called for a plant that could generate enough electricity to power more than 300,000 homes.

Last April, Cox hosted a summit with the governors of Idaho and Wyoming to discuss nuclear energy and other energy issues, underscoring Utah leaders’ focus on energy production. The three governors inked an accord to promote regional energy development initiatives.