Are Utah leaders’ energy ambitions going to nuke your wallet?
Are Utah leaders’ energy ambitions going to nuke your walllet?
…And while Utah politicians are throwing press conferences with nuclear companies, the three-member Utah Public Service Commission has to decide if Rocky Mountain Power can even bring nuclear power to Utah.
Utah’s largest electrical utility asked the commission in October to approve a contract to bring in power from the Terra Power nuclear plant under construction in Wyoming. The plant will be a unique design intended to store nuclear-generated heat in molten salts so it can ramp up and down faster to integrate with fluctuating solar and wind power.
Utah’s largest electrical utility asked the commission in October to approve a contract to bring in power from the Terra Power nuclear plant under construction in Wyoming. The plant will be a unique design intended to store nuclear-generated heat in molten salts so it can ramp up and down faster to integrate with fluctuating solar and wind power.
Under Utah law, Rocky Mountain [Power] has to find the “least cost/least risk” sources for power. The company says the Kemmerer [Terra Power] plant, which is still more than five years away from operation, will meet that requirement.
But there is no history to back that up, and Rocky Mountain needs Utah’s commitment soon to qualify for federal funds to finish the plant. The case already has attracted attorneys from Utah industries looking to protect their power costs.
But there is no history to back that up, and Rocky Mountain needs Utah’s commitment soon to qualify for federal funds to finish the plant. The case already has attracted attorneys from Utah industries looking to protect their power costs.
SD Williams
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