A formal press conference at Hill Air Force Base included Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Undersecretary of Defense Michael Duffey, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, and Valar Atomics CEO Isaiah Taylor.
During his remarks, Wright discussed the significance of the day, and said “a 5‑megawatt Valar Atomics nuclear reactor was just flown from L.A. to this air force base here in Utah—an incredible 5‑megawatt reactor that powers 5,000 homes, flown in the back of a plane.” The ability to transport microreactors like the Ward250 bolsters claims that the technology could be deployed to remote locations, military installations, or to support natural disaster relief missions.
Cox in his comments emphasized energy security: “Energy is not just an economic issue, it is a national security issue as well. America cannot project strength abroad if we lack reliable, deployable power at home.” He added that the state is “laying the legal, regulatory, workforce, and infrastructure groundwork right now” to support deployment.
Breaking ground: Back in the fall, Valar announced it had broken ground at the USREL site, where it will demonstrate the high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor. According to the company’s website, following the demonstration at USREL, its goal is to create one standardized reactor design to be manufactured at scale and deployed by the hundreds at a behind-the-meter “gigasite.” Aiming to fulfill demand in industrial heat and energy, Valar is tailoring these plans toward hydrogen production, data centers, and synthetic fuel production.
-3 2x1.jpg)
