In recent days, President Donald Trump commemorated a major milestone with a select group of CEOs of nuclear companies in the Oval Office: three advanced nuclear reactors achieved criticality — or had self-sustaining nuclear chain reactions — by his ambitious deadline of July 4, 2026.
Enjoying the spotlight was Isaiah Taylor of Utah’s own Valar Atomics.
Utah certainly earned this victory lap, but not only because of Valar. In just the past year, Utah has taken the lead in some of the most innovative energy fields, making our state the tip of the spear not just in nuclear but in geothermal and critical minerals as well.
Nuclear: From blueprint to reality
Let’s start with Utah’s breakneck speed deploying advanced nuclear technologies — the reason for the White House celebration. On June 18, 2026, Valar Atomics’ Ward 250 reactor achieved zero-power criticality under the Department of Energy’s advanced reactor pilot program, the second reactor of three to meet the administration’s goals.
Valar was unique because it was the first reactor to hit this milestone outside of a national laboratory, a very promising development for the industry as a whole.
But Ward 250 is not alone. In Brigham City, Hi Tech Solutions and Holtec International have proposed a “full-scale nuclear energy ecosystem” centered on manufacturing, workforce development and future deployment of Holtec’s SMR-300 small modular reactor design. The project — part of Utah’s Operation Gigawatt initiative — envisions up to $750 million in private investment and more than 1,000 projected jobs, pending regulatory review and permitting.
With all of this activity, it should come as no surprise that Utah has just been named one of five potential host states for Department of Energy Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses, which will supercharge the Beehive State’s nuclear leadership in Tooele County.
Taken together, Utah is both advancing nuclear innovation and assembling a broad industrial base to deploy advanced reactors at scale, making our state an indispensable node in the American effort to rebuild nuclear capability.
Geothermal: The energy under our feet
On geothermal — a largely untapped energy source with immense potential — Utah is also at the forefront of development.
In Beaver County, Utah, Fervo Energy’s Cape Station project is an ambitious enhanced geothermal development and is expected to become one of the largest of its kind globally. The project is targeting initial power delivery in the mid-to-late 2020s and is designed to scale toward several hundred megawatts of 24/7 generation using engineered reservoirs in hot rock formations rather than conventional hydrothermal resources.
Meanwhile, Salt Lake City-based Zanskar is working to reduce one of geothermal’s core constraints — exploration risk — by using machine learning models trained on geologic and subsurface data to identify promising drilling targets in regions without obvious surface signs of geothermal activity, helping locate and validate so-called “blind” geothermal systems.
Enhanced geothermal systems are the future of energy, and they’re being designed and deployed right here in Utah.
Critical minerals: The foundation everything else runs on
Finally, there are critical minerals, the building block not only of advanced energy but of defense systems, electronics, batteries, magnets and almost every technological wonder in modern life.
Though China currently dominates critical mineral production, Utah is stepping in to fill the gap. Our state produces or has access to a large share of minerals on the U.S. critical minerals list. It is the only current domestic source of beryllium production and home to the nation’s only magnesium metal facility. In Utah County, Ionic Mineral Technologies has identified multiple critical elements, and in the Paradox Basin, direct lithium extraction projects are advancing to assess the region’s substantial brine resources.
These commercial efforts are being supported with heartening policy changes at the state level. Recent legislation, including SB254, focused on expanding permitting efficiency and strengthening domestic mineral supply chains, while companion resolutions such as SCR9 established the MINES Center and called on Utah’s Congressional delegation to push for a federally designated critical minerals national laboratory. These initiatives align with Gov. Spencer Cox’s broader “Mission Critical” strategy, which aims to meet 25% of the nation’s critical mineral needs from Utah production alone.
What this means for Utah — and the country
Utah has unambiguously positioned itself as a leader in emerging energy and materials development, becoming the hub for advanced energy innovation, exploration and deployment. As newer, cleaner technologies from geothermal to battery storage and EVs to advanced nuclear take a growing share of the national and global market, our position will only improve.
If these trends continue, Utah will not only celebrate a banner year in energy development, we will be a global power player, exporting our technologies around the world.