A Utah-based startup wants to build a massive nuclear-powered data center on over 9,000 acres of federal land near Price, Utah. The project, called “Project Beehive,” would combine data centers with around 456 small nuclear reactors, a fuel production plant, and waste storage facilities.
In aggregate, the reactors would produce around 9.6 gigawatts of power for the data centers, plus more thermal heat for other uses. That output dwarfs Utah’s current average electricity production, which sits around 4 gigawatts, though the state’s peak capacity in summer reaches around 10 gigawatts.
Nonnuclear construction could begin as soon as the end of this year. The first reactors could come online sometime in 2028.
Valar’s Federal Land Proposal
Valar Atomics submitted its plan to the Bureau of Land Management, which confirmed receipt of the application in an email to NPR. The bureau said it is reviewing for completeness and will ensure public input during the NEPA process.
The Salt Lake Tribune first reported the project’s use of state land last week but did not report the federal land proposal at the time. Valar has also sought around 650 acres of state land as part of the project.
Local activists are alarmed. Neal Clark of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and Lexi Tuddenham of the Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah both expressed concern.
Clark said the Trump administration is pushing the project forward on significant acreage of public lands. Tuddenham said the coalition of concerned people transcends political lines and that raising awareness is the priority at the moment.
Valar’s Track Record
Valar CEO Isaiah Taylor previously told NPR his company was committed to safety and community engagement regarding a smaller test reactor in a neighboring county.
Valar has benefited from regulatory reforms enacted by the Trump administration to ease testing and building of small modular reactors. Those changes helped Valar gain acceptance into the Department of Energy’s Reactor Pilot Program.
Taylor was in the room when Trump signed executive orders last year accelerating nuclear development. Valar joined the program in August 2025.
The U.S. military flew Valar’s Ward 250 test reactor from California to Utah aboard a C-17 transport aircraft in February. Ward 250 reached criticality in June in a tentlike structure about 30 miles from the Project Beehive site.
On July 1, Taylor used Ward 250 to power a single Nvidia microchip, calling it “the first startup in history to make nuclear electricity.”
Nuclear Power in the U.S.
Since the turn of the century, the U.S. has switched on just three new nuclear plants producing a total of around 3.4 gigawatts. Those reactors cost many billions of dollars each and are far larger than Valar’s planned small modular design.
Valar’s 25-megawatt electric units could be installed one at a time, allowing phased completion of the site. The full site could be completed by 2032, according to a document reviewed by NPR.
| Plant Type | Installed Capacity | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Large conventional reactor | Many billions of dollars each | Three built since the turn of the century, 3.4 GW total |
| Valar small modular reactor | Phased installation | First units online 2028, full site 2032 |
The NEPA Process
The NEPA process requires federal agencies to consider the environmental effects of their actions. The Bureau of Land Management said it will ensure public input during that process.
Clark and Tuddenham want that input to be meaningful. They worry about the precedent of using federal lands for such a project.
Tuddenham believes using federal lands for such a project is unprecedented, saying it could affect how public lands are used generally.
What Happens Next
The project still faces federal review. The Bureau of Land Management is reviewing Valar’s application for completeness.
Construction timelines depend on approval. Nonnuclear work could begin as soon as the end of this year. The first reactors could come online sometime in 2028.
The activists are not waiting for the outcome. Clark and Tuddenham are raising awareness now.
Our View
This is a bold proposal. It could reshape how the country thinks about nuclear power and data center infrastructure. But it also raises serious questions about who gets to use public lands and what happens when those lands are used for projects this large.
The Trump administration pushed regulatory changes to ease testing and building of small modular reactors, helping Valar gain acceptance into the Department of Energy’s Reactor Pilot Program and secure a military airlift of its test reactor. Valar has a path forward. The NEPA process will determine whether that path stays open.
The public deserves a fair shot at weighing in. The activists are right to demand it.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs the small business against both the agency and the giant, and is against broad new rulebooks and rules the biggest firms helped write, especially when they raise the cost of entry for smaller operators. Here Valar Atomics is a startup seeking to build 456 small nuclear reactors on federal land, and the project’s very scale raises questions about who gets to use public lands and what happens when those lands are used for projects this large.
Valar has benefited from regulatory reforms enacted by the Trump administration to ease testing and building of small modular reactors, and those changes helped Valar gain acceptance into the Department of Energy’s Reactor Pilot Program. The paper is skeptical of any rulebook that helps the biggest firms and raises the cost of entry for smaller operators.
The activists are right to demand meaningful public input through the NEPA process, and the public deserves a fair shot at weighing in before the Bureau of Land Management decides. The project is still seeking approvals; its fate depends on federal review processes that have not yet concluded.
Source material: “A startup wants to build a massive nuclear-powered data center on public land in Utah,” NPR.
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