Green River's Blue Castle nuke plant being revived using modular reactors

First proposed in 2007 but long dormant, the Blue Castle nuclear project near Green River in Emery County is being revived.

Blue Castle Holdings, a descendent of the original developers, has partnered with Fulcrum Point Holdings — founded by the owner of Hi-Tech Solutions, a company behind a separate Utah nuclear project — to form a joint venture to restart the project.

This time the plan is to develop the site using small modular reactors (SMRs). The two developers will partner with Holtec International to deploy pressurized water reactors on the site. In an email to Nuclear News, a Blue Castle spokesperson said the plan is to deploy two to four Holtec SMR-300 reactors that will generate 600 megawatts to 1,200 megawatts. The project is in the preliminary phase, with additional details on a timeline and opportunities for community input to follow, the email said.

The selection of SMRs is in contrast to plans from 2014, when a previous revival plan was announced. At that time, a memorandum of understanding between Blue Castle and Westinghouse Electric called for two AP1000 PWR reactors.

The original 3,000-megawatt plan has been heavily delayed over the years due to environmental, water-rights and siting challenges.

"Over the past 19 years, Blue Castle has laid the groundwork to de-risk a site for the deployment of nuclear power, creating significant value for future energy development that can serve energy demand across Utah and the surrounding region, as well as potential on-site, behind-the-meter opportunities for advanced technology applications," said Blue Castle CEO Aaron Tilton in a statement. "We appreciate the collaborative effort with Emery County and the city of Green River to create high-value jobs and meaningful economic impact in rural Utah."

Tilton said Blue Castle expects more than 2,500 jobs to be created during construction and "hundreds" of permanent full-time jobs at the operating plant.

Holtec said the SMR-300's air-cooling technology is ideal in arid environments where water is scarce.

"The work by our partners to acquire sites for next-of-kind deployment in Utah is paramount to our Mountain West expansion strategy as part of [Utah's] Operation Gigawatt," Holtec President Rick Springman said in a statement. "Supply chain development follows reactor deployments, making the advancement of this project crucial to downstream supply chain investments in the state across the nuclear ecosystem."

The 19-year history: While the project appeared in some news outlets as early as 2007, Nuclear News first mentioned it in February 2009, back when Transition Power Development — the former name of Blue Castle Holdings — announced it.

The state of Utah granted the Blue Castle project water rights in 2012. But a lengthy court battle ensued with environmental group Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah over the water rights, ending in 2016 when the Utah Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Blue Castle Holdings.

Despite the delays, there remains local support for the nuclear construction project. In a statement, Green River city manager Edward Castro Bennett said they have worked with the Blue Castle team for nearly two decades and continue to do so.

"Our community has always understood that southeast Utah has played a critical role in powering this state, and we believe Green River is well positioned to remain a vital part of Utah's energy future as new technologies emerge," Bennett said. "We appreciate the continued partnership with Blue Castle, Fulcrum Point, Emery County and the state of Utah, and we look forward to working together as this project advances through the next stages of development."

"Our community has always understood that southeast Utah has played a critical role in powering this state, and we believe Green River is well positioned to remain a vital part of Utah's energy future as new technologies emerge. We appreciate the continued partnership with Blue Castle, Fulcrum Point, Emery County and the state of Utah, and we look forward to working together as this project advances through the next stages of development."

The Green River site has previously undergone extensive technical and environmental analysis, including meteorological and seismic data collection, core boring, geophysical surveys, groundwater monitoring, ecological studies and bathymetry work, Blue Castle said. It also cites the existing water rights, access to the road and rail networks and multi-market transmission opportunities as positives for the plant's development.

"Emery County has always been an energy-producing county, going back generations through coal and other industries that have powered Utah and supported our local economy," said Emery County Commissioner Jordan Leonard. "This agreement represents an opportunity to continue our role as an energy leader while bringing new jobs, investment, and long-term opportunity to our county."

Currently, no timeline has been announced for the project's construction and completion, with Fulcrum Point promising details will be "forthcoming in the near future."