US EnergySolutions, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah has announced a new initiative partnered with the Intermountain Power Agency (IPA) and the state of Utah to explore the development of advanced nuclear power generation at the Intermountain Power Project (IPP) site near Delta, Utah.

Key aspects of the project include:

  • Partnering with IPA to leverage existing infrastructure at the IPP site.
  • Potential development of advanced small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear baseload power.
  • Potential synergy with the existing IPA energy hub and advanced grid stabilisation technologies.
  • Collaboration with local, state and regional stakeholders.
  • Commitment to rural economic development and job creation in Utah.

The Intermountain Power Plant is located near Delta, Utah, in a remote part of west-central Utah. It is home to two coal-fired units, whose net output capacity is 1,800 MWe. Unit 1 became operational in 1986 and unit 2 in 1987. The plant is owned and maintained by IPA, although its construction was funded by six California cities: Anaheim, Burbank, Glendale, Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Riverside.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power serves as the plant’s Operating Agent, as well as being the plant’s biggest customer. Intermountain has long been the City of Los Angeles’ single-largest power source, and is connected to the plant by a 500-mile-long high voltage DC line, known as the Southern Transmission System, which makes no stops along the way. Current plans call for both coal-fired units to be shutdown by 2025, and replaced with a new 840MW gas-fired plant.

“We are excited to pursue this opportunity to create a clean energy hub for the Western United States,” said Ken Robuck, President and CEO of EnergySolutions. “By adding new advanced nuclear technology to the existing renewable and hydrogen initiatives, we aim to provide a stable, decarbonised power supply that meets the needs of the state of Utah and the region.”

“The project is aligned with Governor Spencer Cox’s Operation Gigawatt initiative and seeks to address increasing demand for electrification of society and energy-intensive industries critical to maintaining our quality of life,” said Emy Lesofski, Director of the Utah Office of Energy Development.

“The IPP site is uniquely positioned for consideration of new nuclear generation and builds on IPA’s successful history of power generation development in Utah,” said Cameron Cowan, IPA General Manager. “EnergySolutions is a Utah-based nuclear company with the background and capability to facilitate evaluating this unique opportunity. We look forward to working together on this initiative.”