Concept art of a Holtec SMR-300 in Brigham City, Utah. (Image: Build Brigham City)
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox joined Brigham City Mayor D. J. Bott this week to announce a new partnership among the state, city, Hi Tech Solutions, and Holtec International. The partnership plans to develop a “full-scale nuclear energy ecosystem” based in Brigham City that will feature advanced manufacturing, workforce development, and Holtec’s SMR-300.
More details: The announcement serves as a milestone in Gov. Cox’s broader Operation Gigawatt, which was unveiled last year. The plan calls for doubling Utah’s energy production by 2034, in part by promoting new nuclear development. Since its creation, Operation Gigawatt has grown more focused on nuclear, with this latest news going as far as saying that Utah is now preparing for a nuclear energy renaissance.
The scope of the project is large: More than 700 initial construction jobs and 650 long-term positions are projected to be created. So too is the support, with more than $750 million in private investment already raised.
Still, this initial announcement leaves some questions unanswered. The number of Holtec SMR-300s planned for the site has not been explicitly stated. In May, Holtec announced that it had signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the State of Utah and Hi Tech Solutions to collaborate in the deployment of “a fleet of SMR-300 reactors across the Mountain West.” In that press release, Holtec also said it would work with Hi Tech Solutions to establish a permanent training facility in Utah by 2028 focused on operations, maintenance, and development of a skilled workforce for the existing reactor fleet and the next generation of SMR deployments.
This newest announcement made no mention of the 2028 deadline or prior agreements among the parties involved.
Concurrently with these plans, Holtec is pursuing a number of SMR-300 deployment projects. Most notably, its Mission 2030 aims to deploy a pair of the reactors at the soon-to-restart Palisades nuclear power plant.
Educational pipeline: The details of the workforce development portion of the plan are more concretely laid out. The involved parties plan to build a CERT facility in Brigham City to train and certify the nuclear workforce and also partner with a wide network across Utah, including Weber State University, Utah State University, the University of Utah, trade programs, and local high schools.
Elsewhere in Utah: The plans for Brigham City slot in with a number of rapidly developing projects across the state of Utah.
- Valar Atomics recently broke ground on its Reactor Pilot Program project at Utah San Rafael Energy Lab.
- TerraPower signed a memorandum of understanding with the Utah Office of Energy Development to explore the siting of a Natrium reactor in the state.
- Anfield Energy began construction at its Velvet Wood uranium and vanadium mine.
- Nusano opened a new 190,000-square-foot radioisotope production facility in West Valley City.
- The state’s Military Installation Development Authority progressed on a project with Utah Energy, a subsidiary of uranium enrichment start-up General Matter.
