It’s no secret that Utah lawmakers are looking toward nuclear power to help meet the energy demand of AI and the state’s continued growth. That future took its first legislative step on Jan. 27 when a bill to create much of the legal framework necessary for nuclear power unanimously advanced out of a House committee.
“We've done the best to make a bill that is a starter for the nuclear industry in the state of Utah, and also future energy projects in the state of Utah,” said Republican sponsor Rep. Carl Albrecht.
HB249 would create the Utah Nuclear Energy Council, establish a process for designating energy development zones and create an energy development investment fund to help finance future projects.
Albrecht said membership in the council would consist of representatives from the University of Utah and Utah State University, the commissioner of higher education, appointees from the governor’s office, Senate and House, as well as from the director of the Office of Energy Development.
Lawmakers are eager to get this process started now because the timeline for developing nuclear technology is a long one.
“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,” Albrecht said.
There is enthusiasm from other branches of state government for nuclear as well.
Gov. Spencer Cox announced Operation Gigawatt last year. The goal is to double the state’s power generation capacity in the next decade, which includes investments in clean energy sources like geothermal and nuclear.
“This bill is how Utah goes nuclear,” said Utah Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Joel Ferry. “This bill enables us to have nuclear development, deployed nuclear power within the next 10 years.”
Despite enthusiasm from lawmakers and the executive branch, nuclear power in the United States still comes with baggage.
The first barrier is cost.
After years of planning, a proof-of-concept project in Kemmerer, Wyoming, bankrolled by billionaire Bill Gates broke ground last summer. That project has a price tag of $4 billion. Nuclear also has a checkered past with many still pointing out the disasters at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl in the 1970s and 80s, as well as the more recent Fukushima disaster in 2011.
“Please make sure that you do understand the risks and the dangers associated with nuclear waste,” said Mike Maxwell, a former nuclear power worker who testified to the committee. “Nuclear is a very cool, powerful technology. It's not hard to get excited about it, but we have to have policies that protect the citizens that you're representing.”
Concerns were also raised over a lack of representation on the energy council from communities that have been historically impacted by the nuclear industry.
“What I'm asking from the members of this committee is to take the time to fully understand the risks of nuclear energy and to make sure that those who have been impacted by nuclear energy [have a voice] on this new committee,” said environmental organizer and University of Utah student Ava Curtis. “Our voices should be heard when making energy decisions for our community.”
Other concerns raised by opponents include the need to invest further in other proven renewable energy sources like geothermal, wind and solar and concerns around the transparency of the yet-to-be-formed energy council and its spending power of taxpayer money.
Despite the criticism, Albrecht admitted that his bill was a “work in progress.”
“It's not perfect, but it's a start, and we have to start somewhere.”
The bill now heads to the full House for debate.
