USU, Hi Tech Solutions to develop nuclear training, research campus in Brigham City

BRIGHAM CITY — Nuclear company Hi Tech Solutions, Utah State University and Brigham City on Monday advanced a memorandum of understanding to create a nuclear training and research campus to "build the next generation of workforce."

More specifically, the proposed campus will serve as a regional hub dedicated to education, workforce training and innovation in advanced nuclear energy, national defense and nuclear technology sectors.

The initiative aims to boost the local economy, strengthen national energy resilience and secure high-quality career pathways for students and skilled tradespeople.

"We lack both on the trade side and the skilled workforce side, and we lack from the engineering and education side in our industry. So this looks like a catalyzation of two entities and just the beginning of sharing this with other education institutes, trade schools, and other groups from the private sector coming together to build out campuses and to build out facilities to train the next generation of advanced nuclear workforce and advanced energy workforce," said Chris Hayter, co-founder and chief operations officer of Hi Tech Solutions.

If Hi Tech Solutions sounds familiar, it's likely because the company, along with Holtec International, last November announced plans for a "nuclear energy ecosystem" to be developed in and around Brigham City. Per the plan, four to 10 small modular reactors tapping nuclear technology would be built around the city.

The Washington-based company's foray into the state's nuclear energy ecosystem could be coming at an opportune time, coinciding with a strong push toward nuclear power by some of the state's top leaders, including Gov. Spencer Cox, who has routinely touted nuclear energy as part of his "Operation Gigawatt" initiative.

In June, Valar Atomics' small modular reactor in Orangeville, Emery County, reached zero-power fueled criticality, an important step toward full functionality, marking the first time a Department of Energy-authorized reactor has been built outside of a national laboratory.

House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said he sees Hi Tech Solutions' planned training and research campus fitting in seamlessly with "Operation Gigawatt."

"We know as a world that nuclear energy is going to play a bigger role moving forward, not just here in the state of Utah, but worldwide," Schultz said. "And so as we look at what comes next — what's going to power Utah and the world in future decades to come — it is going to be nuclear energy."

Schultz added Cox and the legislature in recent years have prioritized keeping energy costs low for Utahns, something facilities like the one announced Monday are crucial to continuing.

"As we move away from coal in the next decade or two, we know that something's going to have to step up to take that role. Creating the framework to make sure nuclear energy can step in and take that role, to make sure that Utahns keep the light on ... or whatever it is that the energy is there at the lowest cost in the nation," Schultz said.

Beyond bigger picture ideas of Utah's role in the nuclear energy push, the campus will also be a crucial cog in filling positions across rapidly expanding nuclear energy and defense supply chains, offering:

• Professional certification and technical trades: Equipping workers with advanced skills tailored to nuclear operations, quality assurance, and advanced manufacturing.
• Applied research and testing: Providing industry-sponsored simulation laboratories, equipment testing, and validation opportunities.
• Public-private synergy: Utilizing underutilized university-owned property through a strategic public-private partnership structure to foster long-term infrastructure sustainability.

Additionally, the campus aims to be accessible for non-traditional students, actively designing credentialing, apprenticeship, and workforce transition programs that leverage veterans' technical military experience through targeted degree pathways for potential careers in nuclear engineering support, plant operations, maintenance and safety critical to national security.

"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," USU President Brad Mortensen said.

Under the framework of the memorandum of understanding, Hi Tech Solutions, USU and Brigham City will divide operational and planning responsibilities "to ensure the project's long-term viability," the university said in a release.

USU will provide academic leadership, curriculum development, faculty expertise, research capabilities and administration of credentialing and degree programs, while also providing a long-term ground lease of the designated property.

Brigham City will support site master planning, infrastructure coordination, regional economic development initiatives, and local permitting processes, and Hi Tech Solutions will serve as the master developer responsible for financing, developing and coordinating sub-development, alongside providing industry expertise, equipment, technology resources and internship or employment pathways.

"It's just a great opportunity for us to provide not only workforce development but applied research to help all of those fuel sources for energy to become more effective and more efficient in meeting the needs that we have for energy across the state and the nation," Mortensen said.

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