Four Small Utah Towns Offer New Possible Nuclear Sites

Governor Cox has said that Utah needs to double its power generating capacity in the next 10 years. He has promoted nuclear energy as a clean option that could come to Utah. This is a significant investment that could cost less by using an existing power plant. 

Possible Locations in Utah Where a Nuclear Plant Could Be Built 

Because of the cost savings, building a nuclear power plant where a coal or natural gas plant already exists, the Utah Office of Energy Development has begun to study four of these locations where nuclear could be built. 

These are all small towns and are listed as the following: 

Intermountain Power Plant 

This is located in Millard County not far from Delta. This power plant is in the process of being sold and maybe decommissioned. 

Hunter Power Plant 

This is a plant that will possibly be decommissioned as well. It is in Emery County just south of Castle Dale. 

Bonanza Power Plant 

This is in the eastern part of the state out by Vernal. It will be decommissioned in 2030 if they can’t reduce emissions before then. 

Sunnyside Cogeneration Power Plant 

This is a smaller generator in Carbon County and east of Carbon. 

The Other Suggested Location is Listed as Greenfield 

This means a place where there is no current power plant location. This would cost more as there would need to have transmission lines built and the construction of the facility from the ground up.  

Read More: Utah’s Nuclear Industry is About to Blow Up

The Gigawatt Project put forth by the governor is allocating funds and research to bring more power generating capacity to the state. Even if nuclear power doesn’t come to any of these sites, it is likely to arrive at some point here in Utah.