One of the factors to bringing nuclear energy to Utah as a source to help the grid and grow economic development is to foster community engagement and the support of residents.
That component was stressed Wednesday as part of conference hosted by the U.S. Nuclear Industry Council devoted to advanced nuclear reactors and showcasing technology trailblazers.
Marian Rice, professor with the Energy Futures Research Initiative at the University of Utah, pointed to the critical nature of education on advanced nuclear technologies. There was opposition to a recent ordinance in Eagle Mountain that would have included additional options for the city to use in the future, including natural gas plants and nuclear.
There was public outcry and while it was voted down by the city planning commission, the city will host an energy town hall March 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. to discuss nuclear power generation with experts on hand.
Emy Lesofski, the newly-appointed director of the Office of Energy Development in Utah and the governor’s energy advisor, said it will never be soon enough to begin educating the public.
“We’re currently in the middle of our legislative session, and one of the pieces of legislation that has been authored is one that would includes the nuclear consortium, and as part of that, that education and community and stakeholder outreach is a key component of that,” she said. “And that is something I think that we can’t do too soon, because we need to be able to educate the public, like you said, about how this is a safe technology and a good technology for us to use.”
The panelists also spoke on the need to collaborate on a regional level.
The Frontiers Initiative, established three years ago, seeks to marry the efforts of eight states that are creating economic development plans focused on the use of advanced nuclear energy. Utah is among half of those states designated as a “first mover” state that is uniquely positioned and ahead of the game in this arena.
“We have strengthened our position with stakeholders in first mover states — Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Alaska — while adding engagements where increasing interest in advanced nuclear energy intersects with industry needs, including in Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, and South Carolina,” Steve Aumeier, senior adviser at Idaho National Laboratory, has said. The Energy Futures Research Initiative at the University of Utah is part of that effort.
Idaho National Laboratory and its Frontier Initiative has attracted a key interest by the military in using advanced nuclear energy as a way to cut diesel fuel costs and be energy independent should anything happen to the grid.
The application for this type of technology such as microreactors could be used as backup for emergency response centers as well.
“So the governor’s goal is to double energy production in Utah within 10 years. Nuclear is part of that. It’s one of the many tools in the toolbox. But is something where we are really looking at, I think also it’s just looking at the financial, economic benefits, workforce development in the long term,” Rice said. “It’s just really important. I know Utah is doing that, so I’m thrilled to be part of that, especially since we have some have coal mining and other industries that maybe other states don’t have.”
Mason Baker, chief executive officer for the Utah Associated Power Municipal Systems, said the shelved Carbon Free Power Project is not dead yet.
It was delayed due to costs of generation that had nothing to do with the viability and safety of its design, he added.
UAMPS, representing independent power producers in Utah — most of which are municipalities are special districts — pursued the deployment of a small modular reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory. After more than a decade, it was abandoned for the time being.
“We still see (nuclear) playing a critical role.”
Laura Nelson, the governor’s former energy advisor and now the regional engagement lead for the Idaho National Laboratory, said she believes what Utah is doing in partnership with states like Idaho and Wyoming will result in an energy transformation.
“We have a vision to change the world’s energy future, which means to drive towards a reliable, resilient energy future for everyone,” she said.
Earlier, Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, spoke of permitting reform and Utah’s energy revolution.
“You know, Utah strives to be a leader on this. We have Operation Gigawatt that showcases the state’s interest in geothermal and nuclear and all these energies. And geothermal, it’d be hard to find an energy source that finds better agreement among everybody that this is something that’s important and needs to develop. And yet we struggle with permitting,” he said.
He asked Jeremy Harrell, chief executive officer at ClearPath, about what needs to happen.
“Utah’s a great example nationwide of where federal, state, and local entities need to be synced up in the right way to drive new economic opportunities. And so, Project Gigawatt, focusing on how to leverage and grow new geothermal, new nuclear, new hydrogen development, in the state is vital,” Harrell said.
“I know your state is looking significantly at deploying small modular reactors and micro reactors that could unlock significant development in the state. We’re going to have to resolve some of these frictions with federalism, both on pipelines and transmission that are out there to tap building out infrastructure for new hydrogen, for example, in the state. And so, there are some key things that I think will solve problems that we’re seeing nationwide but really will help unlock the Utah strategy.”
The two had the exchange during an Environment and Public Works Committee hearing titled, “Improving the Federal Environmental Review and Permitting Processes.”
Harrell continued: “I think it’s about growing clean energy infrastructure as a whole. We need to build out more wires. And that’s not just about renewables. There’s projects that have been stifled by the judicial process that are connecting and putting new gas facilities on the grid,” Harrell said. “If we’re going to deploy new small, modular reactors and advanced reactors, the scale of rising demand and the amount of new generation, we’re going to have to build potentially as big as the size of the Texas grid at a minimum over the next decade, virtually doubling the U.S. grid over the next decade. We’re going to need to connect to a lot of new resources in place. And ultimately, that means streamlining federal reviews, trying to find ways to make that process move more quickly.”
