A new nuclear training and research campus may be coming to Brigham City — advancing the U.S. Department of Energy’s nuclear initiative.
Hi Tech Solutions, a Washington-based nuclear power company, signed a memorandum of understanding with Brigham City, Utah. The two entities agreed to jointly plan the Center for Energy Research and Technology (CERT) campus just beside Utah State University’s Brigham City campus.
USU would contribute land, research, testing and workforce training programs while Hi Tech Solutions would sponsor the selling of services, certifications or facility access to paying customers.
The first phase of development, which is planned to start construction by 2028, will include a 20,000-square-foot facility.
“By aligning academic rigor with industry demand, the initiative aims to boost the local economy, strengthen national energy resilience, and secure high-quality career pathways for students and skilled tradespeople,” the University published Aug. 24.
But the $100 million facility is just the training and workforce piece of a much larger ambition.
The nation’s current nuclear push — and where Utah fits in
Everything comes back to the the DOE’s Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses competition announced at the beginning of this year.
Utah is one of five finalists — with Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Idaho — chosen from 26 applicant states, a process Sen. John Curtis touted in a release last month.
“Utah has earned a reputation as one of the nation’s leaders in advanced energy innovation, and today’s announcement is another vote of confidence in our state’s future,” he wrote. “This is an incredible opportunity to strengthen American energy dominance, bolster our domestic nuclear supply chain, and create new high-paying jobs right here in Utah.”
Idaho — Utah’s only western “rival” state, and home to the Idaho National Laboratory — makes the race for nuclear power even more dire. The two states are in a battle to officially win the DOE funding and support.
USU’s nuclear campus is one step closer to the end of the race.
The national nuclear energy efforts are part of the Trump administration’s broader “energy dominance” initiative, an effort to create energy independence for the U.S.
What the nuclear campus means for energy
The Brigham City campus will give workers advanced, professional certifications tailored to nuclear operations. It was also provide simulation laboratories and equipment testing.
“This partnership reflects Utah State’s land-grant mission and our responsibility to help meet the evolving needs of our state,” said USU President Brad Mortensen in the press release. “Working alongside Brigham City and Hi Tech Solutions, we have an opportunity to explore new approaches to technical training and research that prepare students for high-demand careers, support economic growth, and strengthen Utah’s leadership in energy and national defense.”
By 2029 — a year after the planned construction — the facility will employ approximately 20 full-time employees, and potentially more as the campus grows.
Circle of Blue reported that the campus will aid in the generation of small modular reactors (SMRs), which are nuclear fission reactors designed to be smaller than traditional large power plants. According to Circle of Blue, the campus could aim to produce as many as 10 SMRs statewide by the mid-2030s — at roughly $100 billion.
But not everyone agrees with the state’s vision for a “nuclear energy ecosystem.”
On Aug. 17, three Utah environmental and public health groups — Downwinders, Inc., Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah, and Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment — filed a complaint in a press conference against the state’s Office of Energy Development.
They claimed the office’s $1.8 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign was “false, deceptive and misleading.” The campaign claimed that nuclear plants “emit less radiation than bananas” and that “nuclear waste storage is safer than your leftovers.”
Brigham City’s announcement lands not even 10 days after the press conference — amid a live credibility fight over the benefits and risks of nuclear energy.