A long-stalled nuclear energy project in Green River, located in Utah’s Emery County, made a decisive step forward on Wednesday

For 19 years, energy developer Blue Castle faced major roadblocks, including financing problems, water concerns and regulatory hurdles.

However, a new partnership with Fulcrum Point Holdings, which was founded by Hi-Tech Solutions President Chris Hayter, has given the Green River project new life.

Original plans detailed a 3-gigawatt nuclear reactor in an industrial park, capable of powering more than 3 million homes. The revamped plan instead proposes the construction of small modular reactors, designed by Holtec International.

Wednesday’s announcement described the Holtec SMR-300 as well suited for Utah’s dry climate, where water is usually scarce. The reactors can be air-cooled.

While developers didn’t specify how much power the small modular reactors would generate, the group announced a similar project in Brigham City in northern Utah in November. Each small modular reactor will likely generate around 300 megawatts, which is enough to power about 250,000 homes.

As for delays in permitting, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s chairman, Ho Nieh, recently told the Deseret News in an editorial board meeting that federal licensing review times are currently being shortened to less than 18 months. This is a significant acceleration from the four to five years licensing has traditionally taken.

“We’re just doing things a lot smarter,” Nieh told the Deseret News. “We’re engaging with these developers and potential applicants very early, before they even submit the application to make sure expectations are clear and that they know what is expected to be included in the application. We’re just trying to do as much as we can up front to minimize the drag in the process.”

How does Green River feel about the project?

The revitalized Blue Castle-Fulcrum Point project was good news for Green River City Manager Edward Castro Bennett.

Bennett traveled to Hill Air Force Base in February for the landing of Valar Atomic’s small modular reactor, the Ward250. The reactor had been flown across three C-17 aircrafts from Los Angeles to Orangeville, also in Emery County. It is scheduled to begin generating electricity this summer on the Fourth of July.

He told the Deseret News then, “If we can land Valar in one of these phases in this capacity, it would be a generational game changer. Our economic depression would go away. We’ve got a municipal airport, we’ve got one of four Amtrak stations in the entire state, plenty of water, plenty of space and plenty of people that want to work.”

Three months later, Bennett sees the revamped Blue Castle-Fulcrum Point project as a benefit to the people in his city.

“For us, it’s a big deal. … This is another step in the process of revitalizing the economic capacity of Green River,” he said, adding that the city is still in talks with Valar Atomics about getting a small modular reactor.

“If we can continue to bring in some of these industries that can have long-lasting effects, it’ll give the city an opportunity then to recognize what they need to do and what they can do to continue to thrive,” he said.

Green River now has private companies specializing in lithium and uranium extraction, as well as lithium processing.

He referenced the city’s long history with energy production. “The city recognizes Emery County as one of the energy centers of Utah,” Bennett said. He said he believes the project will fit easily into the city’s existing industries.

“At the end of the day, I want what’s best for the residents of the community,” Bennett said.