Company Proposes Nuclear-Powered Data Center on Utah Public Land

Why it matters locally: While this project is located in Utah, New Mexico has significant experience and ongoing discussions related to nuclear energy, including waste storage and potential future development, which could be influenced by such a large-scale nuclear power deployment in a neighboring state.

Valar Atomics, a startup company, has outlined plans to build a substantial data center in Utah. The company proposes to develop this facility across more than 9,500 acres of public land. This project includes the deployment of over 450 nuclear reactors. These reactors would provide power for the proposed data center. A photograph showed a Valar Atomics microreactor on a C-17 aircraft on February 15. The image depicted the reactor without nuclear fuel. This transport occurred from March Air Reserve Base in California to Hill Air Force Base in Utah.