- Eagle Mountain is in the early stages of considering revisions to an ordinance to broaden its energy options.
- Those options include solar, natural gas, electrical substations, new transmission lines and advanced nuclear technologies.
- The effort aligns with Utah Gov. Spencer's Cox "Operation Gigawatt" to double energy production in Utah in 10 years.
- Some residents have fears about siting advanced nuclear technology in their city and are opposed to the plan.
City leaders in Eagle Mountain are considering revisions to an ordinance that would allow a diverse set of energy options as well as new transmission to meet growing electricity demand in the fast-growing community.
Among potential developments that would be allowed under the modifications is the addition of small modular reactors — or advanced nuclear technologies.
“There are no immediate plans to have a nuclear facility in Eagle Mountain. I don’t think that even the state of Utah has the capability of taking in a nuclear power plant anytime soon, just because there’s not really all the right pieces to bring one in — to kind of keep it simple. So we’re not expecting to see a nuclear power plant, whether an SMR, small modular reator, or otherwise, anytime soon, probably several years from now,” said Evan Berrett, the city’s economic development director.
But the planning commission, in a late Tuesday vote of 3-2, opted not to pursue the ordinance revisions.
That comes as Berrett earlier stressed that the city wants to be able to use that energy source should it become viable and financially a good fit.
“If there’s anything that leads us to believe that they aren’t going to be appropriate for our community, if there’s any reason to believe that they are not going to be safe or good for our environment, and we do take all those things, of course, super seriously, then it will be no.”
Why the potential change?
Enyo, a clean energy company, wants to put in battery storage and solar panels in Eagle Mountain. It requested a revision of the ordinance to make the project possible. Enyo developed an 80-megawatt solar farm in Tooele County and has three other solar projects under development in Utah.
Berrett said aside from the existing Facebook facility and Enyo’s request, three other high tech companies have expressed a strong desire to power up data or AI centers in Eagle Mountain, including Google, which has already purchased land at the south end of the city.
“Because of our growth, because of all the demands here, we’re trying to create a local economy, and that’s difficult when you’re just sort of on the end of the line,” said Eagle Mountain Mayor Tom Westmoreland. “We’re not a drive-through city. We don’t have an I-15 or anything like that. So creating a strong local economy is a real challenge for us.”
The city, for example, has grown from 250 residents when it was founded 28 years ago to a population of 71,000, Westmoreland said. “We’re still adding quite a few people. I think last year we added somewhere around 5,500 people, so it is growing super fast.”
City officials say the revisions align with “Operation Gigawatt,” announced last year, in which the state aims to double its energy production within a decade.
Revisions contemplate more zoning flexibility for not only solar and battery storage, but natural gas plants, electrical substations and the small modular reactor option. The Eagle Mountain City Council will now take up the proposal next week.
That component has a fueled a group of opponents fearful about the dangers of nuclear-powered energy, the risks it imposes to the community, water consumption, exposure to radiation and more.
“Nuclear reactors, while efficient energy sources, carry numerous potential risks, regardless of size,” stated Joy Rasmussen, who launched a petition to gather opponents to potential nuclear deployment in Eagle Mountain. She cited the possibility of earthquakes, fires, floods and potential terrorist attacks that could expose residents to undue risks of leaked radiation.
“Given these known risks, allowing a nuclear reactor in Eagle Mountain would be a dangerous proposition, putting our community’s health at jeopardy,” she wrote in her petition.
“We urge you to recognize the gravity of this situation — the threat it presents to millions of lives, and how it can potentially increase cancer risks in our community.”
Both Berrett and Westmoreland stressed there is not a immediate plan to site a small modular reactor in the community and before that happens — if it does — it will be properly vetted.
Westmoreland added that even without the demand posed by data centers, the city will be unable to meet energy needs of its residents without another resource and diversification.
City officials toured the Lakeside Natural Gas plant last week and also met virtually with representatives from the Idaho National Laboratory, the nation’s premier U.S. Department of Energy laboratory researching nuclear technologies.
“You know, electricity really is at the core of modern life, and I have not seen an alternative to that yet,” Westmoreland said. " So we’ve had hydroelectric power and coal power, but, of course, those take lots of water. We can possibly do natural gas, but even there, you still still have exhaust and with our high air quality standards, and everybody wants clean air, right?”
Westmoreland said the main concern for residents should be the ability to keep the lights on.
“Especially in United States, we’ve come to take electricity for granted. I mean, we flip on the switch and it comes on but if the day comes that it’s not reliable, that’s going to severely impact us in a negative way, and that truly does frighten me,” he said. “It frightens me from a national security level. It frightens me from a quality of life level.”