Nuclear-powered AI data center proposed on state and federal land in central eastern Utah
Valar Atomics has requested about 9,000 acres of federal land near Price in Carbon County for an industrial campus that could include small nuclear reactors, an AI data center and manufacturing facilities. The Utah Trust Lands Administration approved a lease for more than 600 acres of state land, but the federal land request and overall project have not yet been approved; environmental advocates are questioning safety, waste storage and public benefits.
Valar Atomics has applied to the Bureau of Land Management for an industrial campus near Price in Carbon County that could cover roughly 9,000 acres of public land. The proposed development may include small gas-cooled nuclear reactors, an artificial intelligence data center and manufacturing facilities. The company has not released detailed public information about the project, and the federal application remains pending.
The Utah Trust Lands Administration recently approved a lease for more than 600 acres of state land for Valar Atomics. Supporters, including officials and company representatives, said Carbon County has the workforce, infrastructure and space needed for the development, while citing nuclear power's relatively low water use. Environmental advocates, including Lexi Tudnham, raised concerns about public health, accident preparedness, nuclear waste storage and whether Utah would receive sufficient tax revenue and other benefits for assuming the project's environmental risks.