Oct 12, 2026 · 9 min · 7 segments
456 nuclear reactors on federal land near Price, Utah, built to power AI data centers. That’s the core of Project Beehive, and it’s why Carbon County is suddenly the center of one of the wildest…
Valor Atomics, a nuclear energy startup, has proposed building what's called Project Beehive, a complex of 456 small modular reactors on over 9,000 acres of federal BLM land near Price and Carbon County.
Those reactors, using a still largely untested helium-cooled design, would generate 9.6 gigawatts of power to run massive AI data centers.
The Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration already agreed to lease a 640-acre parcel to Baylor for up to 100 years.
The company has already been testing its Ward 250 microreactor at the San Rafael Energy Research Center in neighboring Emory County.
Non-nuclear construction could begin as early as late this year, with the first reactors potentially going live in 2028.
On Tuesday, over 100 people packed a Carbon County Planning Commission meeting to hear Valor's presentation.
Carbon County has been economically devastated by the decline of coal for over a decade.
Three residents employed by Valor spoke in favor of the meeting, but others are pushing back hard.
Cheryl Lupo, a longtime resident running for county commission, said, People are up in arms, torches and pitchforks, because they're not being heard.
Residents raise questions about nuclear waste storage, water use, road infrastructure, and whether nondisclosure agreements the county signed with developers are hiding critical information.
Downwinter communities in southern Utah have lived with that legacy for generations, and the concern being voiced in Carbon County is real.
Local residents bear the long-term nuclear safety risks while out-of-state tech corporations capture the financial reward.
Baylor CEO Isaiah Taylor says the reactors use closed-loop helium cooling that requires little water and promises hundreds of jobs for county residents.
Valor Atomics, a nuclear energy startup, has proposed building what's called Project Beehive, a complex of 456 small modular reactors on over 9,000 acres of federal BLM land near Price and Carbon County.
Those reactors, using a still largely untested helium-cooled design, would generate 9.6 gigawatts of power to run massive AI data centers.
The Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration already agreed to lease a 640-acre parcel to Baylor for up to 100 years.
The company has already been testing its Ward 250 microreactor at the San Rafael Energy Research Center in neighboring Emory County.
Non-nuclear construction could begin as early as late this year, with the first reactors potentially going live in 2028.
On Tuesday, over 100 people packed a Carbon County Planning Commission meeting to hear Valor's presentation.
Carbon County has been economically devastated by the decline of coal for over a decade.
Three residents employed by Valor spoke in favor of the meeting, but others are pushing back hard.
Cheryl Lupo, a longtime resident running for county commission, said, People are up in arms, torches and pitchforks, because they're not being heard.
Residents raise questions about nuclear waste storage, water use, road infrastructure, and whether nondisclosure agreements the county signed with developers are hiding critical information.
Downwinter communities in southern Utah have lived with that legacy for generations, and the concern being voiced in Carbon County is real.
Local residents bear the long-term nuclear safety risks while out-of-state tech corporations capture the financial reward.
Baylor CEO Isaiah Taylor says the reactors use closed-loop helium cooling that requires little water and promises hundreds of jobs for county residents.
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