Eagle Mountain considers allowing nuclear reactors, natural gas power plants in city

Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Eagle Mountain is considering nuclear and natural gas plants, among other options, to prevent an energy crisis.
The planning commission postponed code amendments, seeking more information on energy impacts.
Some residents expressed concerns over safety, pollution and potential real estate effects.

EAGLE MOUNTAIN — The city of Eagle Mountain is looking into energy alternatives such as nuclear reactors and natural gas power plants to help with preventing an energy crisis as the city rapidly expands.

The Eagle Mountain Planning Commission tabled proposed amendments to city code that would allow small modular nuclear reactors, natural gas power plants, battery energy storage systems and solar energy projects in the city. The commissioners ultimately decided Tuesday they needed additional information on the energy plants before recommending code changes to allow them.

"This is something that is going to be inevitable. We are facing an energy crisis right now," Commissioner Robert Fox said.

More investigation of regulations and safety impacts should be done, but the city is at a critical point, and energy could be the factor that stops the city's growth if nothing is done, he said.

The proposal was initiated by Enyo Energy, a renewable energy company that focuses on developing wind, solar and storage projects and aims to streamline the approval process and ensure safety for sustainable energy projects, city planning director Brandon Larsen said.

The proposed code amendments would allow for new forms of energy generation, including battery energy storage systems, natural gas power plants, solar energy projects, electrical substations, power lines and small modular nuclear reactors to be approved in the areas that are in the regional, technology, and industry overlay zone.

All but the substations and power lines would only be permitted through special use, meaning they have additional requirements to meet before the city would consider approval. The amendments would also allow for power lines to be in agriculture zones.

Larsen said these changes would support the governor's Operation Gigawatt initiative to increase in-state power production.

"The city recognizes that we need additional energy resources to facilitate some of the growth we need," Larsen said.

The changes would ensure power redundancy, which provides backup power services to ensure power remains uninterrupted, and diversify the local energy generation needs. Larsen said this could help the city establish itself as a leader in clean energy production and aid the local economy by providing jobs.

"The city just really wants to be make sure, as it considers different types of alternative energy sources, that we are determined to facilitate clean energy, environmentally safe energy. We are working to prioritize the public health and safety. Our citizens are No. 1 to us, and we do not want to do anything to put anybody in harm's way," Larsen said.

Nuclear and natural gas plants typically emit less pollutants than most coal-powered plants, Larsen added.

Commissioner Craig Whiting emphasized the air quality in the Cedar Valley is a benefit many in Eagle Mountain enjoy, and allowing power plants could have air quality repercussions. Even if the plants are safe, the perception of danger and pollution could affect real estate values and cause people to not want to live in the city.

Whiting also voiced concern about battery leakage, fire hazards of the various energy productions and how important it is to understand all consequences of having a plant in the city.

Resident Joy Rasmussen said this proposal feels motivated by corporate greed and should instead be voted on by citizens. She was also concerned about where the nuclear waste would be stored.

"Allowing that in the city limits near a major population center is asking for trouble. We have fires here, we have earthquakes here, sometimes there is even flooding ... all of those can jeopardize any safety measures that are in place," Rasmussen said.

Roxanna Stone discussed the health impacts from pollutants in the air that would also soak into the soil. As someone who used to live by a nuclear plant in California, she is strongly against having one built in Eagle Mountain, especially the small modular ones that she believes haven't been proven safe yet.

"We are going to be guinea pigs for these," she said. "Give the citizens a chance to react to this. We can't stop the progress of this technology and resources, but it can be put in a place that's safer for all of us."

Michael Bixler suggested the plant be built away from any housing, adding that the city is already in "gridlock" and would be in trouble if people had to evacuate for an emergency from a power plant. Reagan Peck voiced similar thoughts, saying nuclear energy could be good, but the location is not appropriate.

Commissioner Brent Strong commended the city for being proactive in looking into energy alternatives and said this proposal is a starting point for the city. He suggested looking into the impacts Orem and Payson have experienced from their natural gas power plants.

"We have got to be careful about this," Strong said. "We need power. We as a city need to figure out how to get more power here. We need to look at all the options."

The commission motioned for the proposal to be tabled and suggested a work session with the City Council to dive deeper into the topic.

In a statement released Monday, the city said code change is just a proactive measure to be able to enhance safety protocols and meet growing energy demands through a simplified approval process. Any potential projects will undergo "rigorous vetting."

"The city has been working alongside an energy service provider to update code that can accommodate future projects, but the city is not anticipating any applications for major energy-related projects at this time," city communication manager Tyler Maffitt said.

"It is important for the city to be prepared to accommodate advancements in technology while keeping our environment and residents safe," the statement said.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.