Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Creekstone Energy is exploring potential nuclear power for its Utah data center campus.
- A memorandum of understanding with EnergySolutions aims to evaluate the addition of 2 gigawatts of nuclear capacity.
- Commercial operation of nuclear power could begin between 2030 and 2035.
DELTA — Creekstone Energy on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding with Utah-based EnergySolutions to evaluate potential nuclear power options to support energy needs at Creekstone's planned data center campus.
Located southeast of Delta, the 20-million-square-foot campus, being called the "Gigasite," would easily become the world's largest data center campus, coming in well ahead of Hohhot, China's Telecom Inner Mongolia Information Park, which covers over 10 million square feet.
Over the coming decade, Creekstone plans to manage 10 gigawatts of capacity at the site from three primary sources, drawing 1.8 gigawatts from the Intermountain Power Project, 6 gigawatts from solar and 2 gigawatts from natural gas while also considering geothermal, wind and nuclear as potential future additions.
Now, the agreement between the two companies will allow for the possibility of integrating at least two gigawatts of nuclear capacity, according to a release from Creekstone. It went on to say that the potential introduction of nuclear could create one of the largest clean energy concentrations in the nation.
"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," Ray Conley, CEO of Creekstone Energy, said in a statement. "Nuclear has the potential to complement our multi-source 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."
The memorandum signing kicks off a "Phase 1" evaluation focused on:
- Developing a nuclear program road map, with timelines and gating decisions tied to feasibility, regulatory progress and commercial conditions.
- Establishing a timeline for commercial operation in the 2030 to 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.
- Examining regulatory pathways and early-stage licensing considerations to understand requirements for any future project.
- Identifying commercial structures, delivery models and key risks to inform next steps.
Headquartered in Salt Lake City, EnergySolutions is a nuclear services company that operates throughout the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe.
The release noted the memorandum of understanding is nonbinding and that it simply allows both parties to explore various nuclear pathways, or none at all if deemed so.
"Creekstone is approaching this the right way, grounding every step in thorough analysis, clear options, and a disciplined process," Pierre Oneid, executive vice president for strategic initiatives and partnerships at EnergySolutions, said in a statement. "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."
Still, there appears to be some incentive for Creekstone to explore nuclear pathways.
On one hand, Utah is optimistic when it comes to the potential of nuclear, evident through plans for a nuclear facility in Brigham City and a summit devoted to nuclear development, among other ventures.
Creekstone's release said the company views nuclear as a way to "strengthen long-term reliability, resilience and capacity" for the Gigasite.
"While smaller than earlier exploratory concepts, this scale could still provide a substantial clean-energy contribution and support the growth of large-scale AI and digital-infrastructure development," said the release.
If Creekstone and EnergySolutions decide to pursue nuclear, initial commercial operation would likely land between 2030 and 2035.
