A startup wants to build a massive nuclear-powered data center on public land in Utah

[Marlin]

A startup wants to build a massive nuclear-powered data center on public land in Utah

https://www.npr.org/2026/09/30/nx-s1-5983482/valar-atomic-nuclear-data-center-project-beehive-utah

[Core Content]

Startup firm Valar Atomics has submitted an application to the Bureau of Land Management for more than 9,000 acres of public land in Utah. The company proposes constructing 456 small nuclear reactors alongside data centers, fuel production facilities, and waste storage areas.

The proposed installation would generate 9.6 gigawatts of power, exceeding the average electricity production for the entire state of Utah. This initiative tests new federal regulatory pathways designed to accelerate the deployment of mass-produced microreactors. Environmental organizations have raised concerns regarding the scale of industrial development on public lands.

Valar Atomics wants to place over 450 reactors on more than 9,500 acres in Utah to power a huge data center project.

A Valar Atomics microreactor is seen on a C-17 aircraft, without nuclear fuel, at March Air Reserve Base in California on Feb. 15. The reactor was transported from March Air Reserve Base to Hill Air Force Base in Utah. Matthew Daly/AP hide caption

A startup whose founder has vowed to "make nuclear great again" is planning to place hundreds of reactors on federal land in Utah, according to documents reviewed exclusively by NPR.

Read the full article at NPR:
https://www.npr.org/2026/09/30/nx-s1-5983482/valar-atomic-nuclear-data-center-project-beehive-utah