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.
“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.
Read the full report at UtahNewsDispatch.com.
