- It was a busy year on the energy front in Utah, with the state involved in a variety of projects.
- Utah aims to be a world player on the energy stage, particularly when it comes to nuclear and geothermal issues.
- The energy saga is not due to fade in 2026, with much left on the horizon. There is still a lot to be done.
Utah
An energized 2025 and what it means for Utah and the West
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox unveiled “Operation Gigawatt” a year ago, an ambitious goal of doubling the state’s energy production in 10 years.
A GOP lawmaker from Richfield quickly became a champion in doing what he could to help the governor’s initiative take root.
Rep. Carl Albrecht, R-Richfield,, headed legislation in 2025 to set up an energy council, provide a mechanism for the creation of energy zones and, most importantly, established a nuclear consortium.
“See what I started?” he joked at the time.
Via HB249, the nuclear consortium is comprised of eight lawmakers, regulators, business leaders and Laura Nelson of the Idaho National Laboratory. It held its first meeting in October.
According to Rep. Colin Jack, R-St. George, the group reviewed geographic factors that might influence where to build a nuclear reactor. They were counting on local governments to propose sites.
And Brigham City got on board.
The construction of a small nuclear power plant near Brigham City, to be paired with a manufacturing and training hub that state leaders say could help power Utah’s energy future and reshape the local economy, was announced in November.
The hub aims to support a future fleet of small modular reactors in Utah and across the Mountain West.
Also, the city of Eagle Mountain has been contemplating the adoption of an alternative energy zone, which would include a small modular reactor.
There have been several public meetings on the topic this year in Eagle Mountain, but city leaders deferred action for further refinement, more community engagement and, importantly, to let incoming elected officials have a final say.
In other developments, a new reactor is also planned for the San Rafael Energy Lab in Emery County. While the lab itself is not building a reactor, it will be a host for companies testing the technology. It began operations as the San Rafael Research Energy Lab and was purchased by the state for a little more than $20 million.
The lab plans to specialize in studying molten (liquid) salt reactors, as opposed to uranium fuel rods. The idea is that if the uranium is dissolved into a liquid, it will prevent meltdowns, which makes the reactors much safer. The goal is to have it operational next year.
Rocky Mountain Power is intent on someday replacing its coal-fired power plants with technology like TerraPower’s Natrium reactor, which is a 345-megawatt sodium fast reactor coupled with a molten salt energy storage system, providing built-in gigawatt-scale energy storage.
TerraPower broke ground in 2024 in Wyoming at the site of a coal-fired power plant. That led Utah’s governor to sign a memorandum of understanding with TerraPower and two other companies.
Cox made clear this year that he wants Utah to be the star of the alternative energy stage.
“Economic prosperity, quality of life, and national security are all downstream of our ability to deliver affordable and abundant energy. When energy is scarce or expensive, everything else becomes harder,” he told the Deseret News.
“That is why Utah launched Operation Gigawatt and is moving quickly to expand energy capacity using a wide range of technologies, including advanced nuclear and geothermal.”
Cox added: “As a Western state with energy-intensive industries and regional power markets that cross state lines, the choices we make affect far more than just Utah. Reliable and affordable baseload power is essential to economic opportunity across the West.”
He emphasized when states build capacity, energy costs stabilize across the market. When they fall behind, prices rise for everyone.
“Through Operation Gigawatt, Utah is ensuring the energy abundance needed to power new industries, strengthen national security, and keep Utah the best place to live, work, and raise a family today and for generations to come.”
In April, Cox inked an agreement with Battelle Energy Alliance, the operation and maintenance contractor with the Idaho National Laboratory northwest of Salt Lake City.
The purpose of the agreement between the state of Utah and INL is to address emerging energy needs through research, with a focus on advanced nuclear and energy innovation.
It also emphasizes workforce development for a sustainable energy future.
In other noteworthy achievements, the University of Utah’s nuclear reactor celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The reactor was designed not to generate electricity, but the next generation of nuclear engineers. The University of Utah said its role has never been more important, with a “nuclear renaissance” growing to meet the needs of an AI-enabled future.
Data centers and their development are driving that urgency.
In December, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright visited the Idaho National Laboratory to push nuclear.
The laboratory is intertwined with multiple Utah projects, from helping keep cellphones functional for first responders in a catastrophic emergency to testing the functionality of batteries in electric vehicles.
It is North America’s only producer of radioactive, medical grade cobalt-60, a type of radiation used to treat brain tumors at facilities like the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray.
Most recently, INL became the first facility to receive a specialty fuel to power microreactors specifically designed to bolster military readiness.
Utah has joined with Tennessee Valley Authority to partner on developing and modeling advanced nuclear reactors at TVA’s Clinch River site, leveraging Utah’s engineering expertise. It is a $400 million endeavor.
Grid enhancement is not to be left out
Torus hosted Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, at its South Salt Lake facility in August, showing the company’s growth from a small prototype in a garage to a full-scale manufacturing operation.
Torus builds inertial-based distributed power plants — advanced hybrid flywheel battery systems that deliver the same benefits as traditional power generation, but without combustion, chemicals or emissions.
Curtis praised Torus’s growth and highlighted Utah’s role in strengthening America’s energy independence. He said if he had magic powers, he would bring the project back to Washington, D.C., to show his colleagues the exceptional work unfolding in the arena of energy independence.
Other energy opportunities in Utah and the West
Earlier this year, Creekstone Energy and EnergySolutions partnered to evaluate potential nuclear power options at the Utah Creekstone Gigasite and possibly additional locations.
Creekstone is developing the Gigasite in Delta, designed to meet the rapidly expanding U.S. demand for artificial intelligence and data centers.
The company’s eventual goal is to provide approximately 10 gigawatts of non-nuclear generation at the Gigasite through power and infrastructure technologies.
‘Drill, baby, drill’
With President Donald Trump’s mantra of unleashing American energy independence, it has been a good year for Utah in that arena.
Since 2022, Utah has had year-over-year record-breaking crude oil production and significant growth in natural gas production, according to the Utah Petroleum Association.
The oil and gas industry is the backbone of the Uintah Basin economy. While production has doubled in the last few years, emissions in the basin have decreased by nearly 40%.
Fuel demand has decreased 5.7% nationally, but Utah’s fuel consumption has increased 5.2% since 2016, the association said.
The Salt Lake refineries have expanded nearly 25% in the last 15 years and are running at the highest utilization rates in the country to ensure they can meet Utah’s growing fuel needs, as well as neighboring states.
As California refineries close, driven by policies that diminish the economics of those refineries, it has caused supply challenges that can at times lead to slightly higher prices in Utah.
Utah consistently has fuel prices lower than nearly all other Western states — typically lower than Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho and Arizona.
Why the race on nuclear?
A corporate expert says more than 110 nuclear projects are planned globally, but the central question is no longer whether to build, but how to scale without repeating the delays and cost overruns that plagued earlier mega-projects.
According to the World Nuclear Association, governments from 31 nations have signed the Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy, with a goal of tripling nuclear energy capacity by 2050, compared to 2020.
China is on target to meet its goal, but for other countries, including the United States, more work is needed. The United States has built one nuclear power plant in decades — the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, currently the largest nuclear power plant in the United States.
The plant, however, faced huge cost overruns, years of delays and technical problems. It also resulted in higher bills for ratepayers.
Geothermal on the rise
Fervo’s flagship development, Cape Station, is well underway in Beaver County, Utah. The project is expected to start delivering power to the grid in October next year, which will make it the first commercial-scale enhanced geothermal project to hit such a milestone worldwide, according to the company.
Wright, the energy secretary under the Trump administration, signed his first Secretarial Order in early February, calling to “Unleash (the) Golden Era of American Energy Dominance,” which expresses support for geothermal energy and heating.
In Utah in particular, “geothermal is on the path to become an important renewable energy source,” he said.
The state is already home to the geothermal project FORGE.
Utah produces 59 megawatts of energy from geothermal resources, and a dozen projects are in some stage of development that could produce more emissions-free power generation.
Victories for coal, not other energies
In the state Legislature, lawmakers took a bold but controversial move regarding the Intermountain Power Agency, which runs the IPP to send close to 100% of its energy to California.
Because of California’s policies to wean itself off coal-generated power, lawmakers said they could not stomach seeing an asset go to waste.
They passed legislation that will allow Utah to take over the coal-generation aspect of the plant or allow an independent entity to take command. Lawmakers gave clarification to the regulatory oversight of the Utah Public Service Commission and Utah’s energy demands.
Coincidentally, IPP stopped shipping coal power to California this year and instead has flipped the switch on natural gas.
Utah is not being deterred. It was successful in its appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to build a railway in the basin to ship its high-butane, low-sulphur coal to other markets.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s nod of approval was a huge victory for the state and one that could keep Utah’s coal mines in production for years.
Solar got swept by the wayside, however.
“It was a rough year for solar in Utah,” said Utah Needs Clean Energy volunteer Kathryn Kair.
“PacifiCorp backtracked on coal plant retirements, the Legislature imposed new restrictions by cutting commercial and residential clean energy tax credits, and policymakers heavily diluted if not completely restricted renewable energy incentives for large scale solar projects on top of redefining clean energy to include nuclear,” she said.
“That approach undermines that Utah needs real, proven solutions like solar to meet an affordable, clean energy future.”
The Office of Energy reiterated its support for utility-scale solar and does not want to deter the development of utility-scale solar development. It reiterated its “any of the above” approach to energy, despite federal policies that have not been favorable to wind and solar development.
PROVO — An organization that has been a beacon of hope for Utah children and families just got a big upgrade in Provo.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County on Friday held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newest facility, marking the start of a new chapter in providing support for those who need it the most.
The new Kent B. Nelson Clubhouse, 131 N. Olympic Blvd., replaces the organization’s former Provo clubhouse, which had been in operation for more than 50 years. Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County leaders said they had outgrown the aging facility and needed a larger, more modern space to support more community members.
“This new clubhouse is more than a building — it’s a central place where we can coordinate programs, support our staff, and amplify our impact across the region,” said David Bayles, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County, in a statement.
The organization’s mission was something the late former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich was passionate about. His wife Marji and daughter Emily Sakievich attended Friday’s grand opening ceremony just as if he would’ve wanted to.
“He loved this project, and it meant the world to him,” Emily Sakievich told KSL. “This was actually one of the last places he went before he passed. (He) and my mom stopped by to just see how progress was going; he would be so excited to see this come together.”
The former commissioner died last December at the age of 72. Tom Sakievich resigned from the seat in September 2024 after being diagnosed with glioblastoma brain cancer.
Emily Sakievich said her father was a big supporter of helping children in the Boys & Girls Clubs feel supported while he was in office.
“He would have all of them come to his office and talk about how government works and how they can be a part of it someday,” she said.
The new 20,000 square-foot facility expands on resources and programs offered at its previous site for community youth and families experiencing hardships.
The clubhouse will provide safe, engaging, and educational programs in a modernized building fit to serve more than 14,000 Utah children and teens.
A variety of programs including after-school, summer activities and STEM learning will be offered at the new facility. Other resources include internet safety programs, mental health support, nutrition initiatives, and housing assistance for families experiencing homelessness.
“We’ve been able to increase the capacity so much and add preschool and other things; we can even benefit more families — and we can benefit them for a longer period of time, from younger to older, where there are no gaps.” Provo City Council Chair Katrice MacKay told KSL. “So I’m really excited. It’s a fantastic thing for the city and for our residents.”
Leaders of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County say the new $6 million Provo clubhouse was designed as a welcoming space where children and teens can explore new interests, build life skills, and receive mentorship from caring staff.
“The Boys & Girls Clubs have been a cornerstone of youth development in Utah County for decades,” said Janet Frank, board president, in a statement “This new clubhouse strengthens that mission, allowing the organization to extend its reach and impact across the entire region.”
Friday’s event took place while children who attend the Boys & Girls Clubs were in school, so another ceremony for kids and their families is planned for the end of the month.
“The Boys & Girls Club is for every kid out there,” Bayles said. “We want to accomplish what every parent wants for their kids — we want them to have a safe place to learn and grow, to be successful in school, to build social skills and to go on and be great members of society.”
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.
HUNTSVILLE , Utah (KUTV) — Three motorcycles crashed on Trapper’s Loop in northern Utah, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
Officials said one motorcycle traveling northbound on SR-176 near milepost 10 failed to maintain its lane while navigating a curve.
The bike crossed into oncoming southbound traffic, where it collided with two other motorcycles. Officials said all three riders were taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition. All were wearing helmets and protective gear.
Speed is believed to have been a contributing factor in the crash.
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The beloved Fini Pizza made quite the impact during its debut in Utah City.
Just days after opening, the pizza joint sold out of everything by 5 p.m. on a Monday afternoon. The demand for the delicious New York-style pizza was higher than expected.
Owner Sean Feeney and the rest of his team worked late into the night to prep for the week, building pizza boxes, slicing pepperonis and doing all they could to prevent that from happening again.
Feeney said he has three goals with Fini Pizza:
- “Make something that is excellent and delicious and cravable.”
- “Do it in a way where you’re making others feel like they matter and you want their days to be better.”
- “How do we then go outside of these doors and really show people how proud we are to be a part of this neighborhood?”
For the first time, Fini Pizza also opened up Fini Cafe, a charming little cafe that serves up bagels, sandwiches, coffee and pastries.
“You can start your days with us,” Feeney said. “And we can start our day together on a good foot.”
Choosing Utah
This is the first location of Fini Pizza outside the New York City area. Why did Feeney choose Utah? It goes all the way back to his childhood.
Feeney visited the Beehive State to participate in the AAU National Basketball Championship at 11 years old in Salt Lake City. During that trip, he met Jazz legend Frank Layden and former players, like Luther Wright and John Crotty. He also said he “fell in love with Utah” on his first visit.
His family kept coming back to the state they fell in love with, and Feeney said he always wanted to plant some kind of roots in Utah.
“I just resonated with the family-first values-driven environment,” Feeney said. “When I visit Utah, I feel like there is a strong sense of family. There’s a very values-driven environment that I just love. I think about the mountains. I think about the active lifestyle people live here.”
So when a friend showed him some renderings of plans for Utah City, an up-and-coming neighborhood in Vineyard, he figured this was how he could bring Fini Pizza to the state he loved so much.
“I saw the mountains, and I got very excited about building a community from the ground up. And we start with pizza,” Feeney said.
A history of Fini Pizza
Plans for Fini Pizza started taking shape at the end of 2020.
“I’ve always loved pizzerias,” Feeney said. “I grew up in New Jersey, and most of my greatest memories of meals and birthday parties, and after soccer practices or even after funerals and wakes, we would go to our local neighborhood pizzerias growing up.”
Feeney had already found success with two Italian restaurants and decided it was time to try out his pizza dream. He noticed at the time that his neighborhood in Williamsburg in New York City was getting more and more polarized. He thought, why not open a pizza place to bring people together?
“I thought, that would be an exciting thing to try to do and add a pizzeria that was really focused on bringing people together and delivering good days,” Feeney said.
He opened four more Fini Pizza establishments in Brooklyn over the span of six years.
Now, in the Utah City cafe, illustrations of the four restaurants decorate the walls, reminding customers of the history of the place.
“I thought the concept of Fini would resonate with just kind of what I love about Utah,” Feeney said.
Growing up around food
In New Jersey, Feeney grew up having the dinner table as an important part of his days. His mom is Italian and his dad is Irish, and he recalls having their entire families come down to their house on the Jersey Shore.
“We would have these big Sunday suppers and cookouts,” Feeney said. “And I saw my Italian aunts and grandma and my mom and her sisters cooking all day and everybody else just having the best time. And I would get to see my dad be so proud to host everybody in his backyard.”
His family also made the restaurant experience special for him and his siblings. His dad would make reservations for the family at “incredible restaurants” in New York City, and then he would study up on them and share the history of the restaurant and what to order.
“It was all ingrained in me from an early age,” Feeney said.
In 2003, Feeney moved to New York City from New Jersey to work in finance. He loved trying out new restaurants after work, and he would take clients, friends and co-workers out almost every night of the week.
“Over the course of 16 years doing that five nights a week, sometimes six, I started becoming just really great friends with people in the industry,” Feeney said.
He became friends with a neighbor who was a chef, and they ultimately decided to open a restaurant together — Lilia in Williamsburg. Two and a half years later, he left his day job to pursue the restaurant industry full time.
Feeney said the hospitality industry “kind of found me. I just kept feeding the passion for it. And then it turned out that the people I loved most were like, ‘You should do this. You seem really happy, and you love it.’ And I haven’t really looked back since.”
The ‘magic’ of owning a restaurant
The best part of owning a restaurant is the people he gets to work with, according to Feeney.
“They’ve changed my life in a big way,” Feeney said. “The people that I get to work with every day and having this amazingly awesome responsibility of being in their charge, I truly am grateful. I never thought I would be in that position ever. And it’s just changed my life forever.”
He called what his employees do in the hospitality industry “noble” and says when they help make a person’s day better by serving up delicious food that they create “magic.”
“What they produce every single night, what we do together, it’s bigger than the sum of its parts,” Feeney said. “And that’s what I’ve loved. And I’ve loved being able to just witness people doing this for others.”
Fini Pizza giving back
Fini Pizza offers 25% discounts year-round to firefighters, police officers and educators. They also have a program where children under 17 can read three books, share the title and two sentences about the books, and then receive a free pizza for them and their family.
“I just wanted to continue to find creative ways to invest in the community, make the neighborhood more together, more stronger, and more connected,” Feeney said.
Another way Fini Pizza is getting involved with the community is through a program called Fini Hoops.
The Fini Hoops program hosts basketball teams on its own court — he tried it out in New York and loved it, so the Utah City location is also getting its own court, which is currently being built up. It will open up in June.
At the court, Fini Hoops will host basketball tournaments, camps and clinics to get more kids playing ball, and then afterwards, they can enjoy some pizza. Winners of the Fini Hoops tournaments receive free pizza for life.
“I just wanted to create moments for youth in basketball and connect it to pizza as well,” Feeney said.
What I ordered
When I stopped into Fini Pizza on a Wednesday night, I was greeted by smiles and friendly hellos from the staff. The aesthetic of the place is beautiful, with wood accents and a woodsy green color.
Here’s what I ordered:
The Sicilian Pizza: I ordered a slice of the Sicilian pizza, which has a thicker crust, sweet crushed tomato sauce, chili oil, garlic breadcrumbs, freshly shaved parmigiano and pepperoni. There was a little heat that I really liked, maybe from the pepperoni and chili oil? This was a very good slice of pizza.
The White Pizza: I ordered a whole box of this one to share with my sister, and I’m glad I did. The crust is classic New York style crust. The pizza comes with three cheeses — fresh mozzarella, parmigiano and fontina — and on top is drizzled olive oil and lemon zest. I wasn’t sure what I would think of the lemon, but it surprised and delighted me in the best way. It’s refreshing and a beautiful final note to the overall taste.
Storefront information
- Address: 875 N. Main St. Suite A, Vineyard, UT 84059
- Hours: Monday-Sunday, noon-10 p.m.
- Price: $
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