Next-generation nuclear technology for Delta?

Creekstone Energy and EnergySolutions have entered into a memorandum of understanding to establish a strategic partnership to evaluate potential nuclear power options to support long-term clean energy needs at the Utah Creekstone Gigasite and possibly additional locations.

Creekstone is developing the Gigasite in Delta as one of the nation’s most advanced multisource energy and data-infrastructure platforms, designed to meet the rapidly expanding U.S. demand for artificial intelligence and data centers.

The company’s eventual goal is to provide approximately 10 gigawatts of non-nuclear generation at the Gigasite through a diversified portfolio of power and infrastructure technologies.

The evaluation of at least 2 gigawatts of next-generation nuclear capacity introduces a potential pathway to create one of the largest clean-energy concentrations in the United States and a central pillar in Utah’s long-term energy future.

“Evaluating the role that next-generation nuclear could play in our broader energy portfolio is an important step in refining the long-term strategy for the Gigasite,” said Ray Conley, chief executive officer of Creekstone Energy.

“Nuclear has the potential to complement our multisource approach and support the growth of large-scale AI and digital-infrastructure development. EnergySolutions’ technical and regulatory expertise gives us confidence that this evaluation will be thorough, professional, and grounded in real-world conditions.”

Under the agreement, the parties will undertake a “Phase 1” evaluation effort, focused on developing a nuclear program roadmap with timelines tied to feasibility, regulatory progress and commercial conditions.

Those factors include:

• Establishing a timeline for commercial operation in the 2030–2035 timeframe.
• Assessing a wide range of reactor technologies, without limitation to any single design, to determine which options may merit further study for Gigasite-scale loads.
• Evaluating site readiness and integration requirements within Creekstone’s multi-source energy strategy, including transmission, cooling, and infrastructure interfaces

EnergySolutions’ operational, technical and regulatory expertise and longstanding leadership in the U.S. nuclear sector will be invaluable to the success of the project, officials say.

“Creekstone is approaching this the right way, grounding every step in thorough analysis, clear options, and a disciplined process,” said Pierre Oneid, executive vice president for strategic initiatives and partnerships at EnergySolutions.

“Our role is to help them fully understand the nuclear pathways available and what it would take to make any of those options viable for a site of this scale.”

The MOU is nonbinding and establishes a framework for structured evaluation without obligating either party to pursue a specific project, technology or investment.

This framework positions both companies to evaluate energy strategy with the scale and reliability required to support one of the world’s most consequential AI-infrastructure developments.

The agreement contains no promises that advanced nuclear technologies will be built at the Delta site, but rather, it charts a pathway for evaluation.

The demand for more energy

AI, data-center growth and other energy-intensive digital infrastructure are creating rapidly rising demand for clean, reliable, long-duration power in the United States.

Nuclear energy is one potential source capable of supporting these needs at scale. Because nuclear development involves long regulatory and planning timelines, early evaluation is critical to understanding which options, if any, may be viable for the Gigasite.

The project falls in line with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s Operation Gigawatt, an initiative he has announced to double Utah’s energy production within 10 years.

Millard County has become a focal point in this U.S. race to lead out in AI centers.

A state-of-the-art facility was slated to break ground last month in Millard County, utilizing land owned by one of the founding partners, as well as water rights that belonged to his family for 50 years.

Joule is a next-generation advanced AI data center and energy development company that expects the build-out to occur in phases, securing jobs for the region in rural Utah.

According to data from Baxtel, Utah currently has 47 data center facilities that occupy over 6.3 million square feet and consume nearly 600 megawatts of power. While the biggest single facility is the National Security Agency’s 1.5-million-square-foot data center in Saratoga Springs, Facebook owner Meta is the biggest single operator, with seven data centers in the state, per Baxtel data.

With Gigasite, officials say the location is ideally suited for what they have planned.

It offers:

• Proximity to major transmission corridors
• Extensive existing energy infrastructure
• Land suitable for utility-scale development
• A supportive regulatory and policy environment
• A central location within the Western grid
• Direct access to multiple independent fiber routes essential for AI-scale data centers

President Donald Trump has made clear his desire to win the global race for AI.

Trump, flanked by multiple Cabinet secretaries — including Energy Secretary Chris Wright — announced in July a more than $90 billion investment by private energy and tech companies to help Pennsylvania get on the train to a secure, innovative energy future.

There has also been significant investment in Idaho National Laboratory, the nation’s premier nuclear research and demonstration lab northwest of Salt Lake City.

Locations of key data centers already established or under development include northern Virginia, Texas, Arizona, the Pacific Northwest, California, Iowa and, of course, Utah.

The benefits to Utah include the ability to strengthen Utah’s clean-energy portfolio, support high-quality jobs, enhance the reliability for critical AI-era infrastructure, and reinforce Utah’s leadership in advanced energy innovation.