Arizona’s utility companies are exploring sites for potential new nuclear development in the state.
It comes at a time when they are facing unprecedented demand for energy, partly driven by data centers.
There's also been growing interest in nuclear technology nationally as the Trump administration has pushed incentives to develop reactors and build more sites in the U.S.
That push has highlighted small modular reactors, or SMRs.
Those are billed as being cheaper and faster to produce, and could generate between 50 and 350 megawatts, compared to the 550 to 1,500 megawatts capable from traditional reactors.
But the technology largely remains unproven in the United States. Salt River Project says only one design has been approved in the United States.
“We need to see a lot better risk profile around costs and timeline. Some of these are just going to have to get built and prove that they can be done within a reasonable budget and a reasonable amount of time,” said Tom Cooper, an SRP senior director.
Cooper says the utilities don’t have to commit to a technology yet as they are still in the siting exploration phase.
As nuclear development has been rare in recent decades, Cooper says the biggest concern around jumping headfirst into building a new plant is the cost.
“Our focus is going to be on very responsible cost management, pacing, making sure that we essentially get it right in all aspects,” Cooper said.
The lack of nuclear buildout in the United States has also made it hard to gauge what new nuclear developments could look like in Arizona.
“The supply chains are fairly fragmented at this point,” Cooper said. “And there's not a consistent pipeline of construction workers with nuclear training at this point.”
He says a site could be selected by early next year to start submitting regulatory applications to local and federal authorities.
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