- 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.
SALT LAKE CITY — Iranians in Utah said Sunday they were celebrating and grateful for U.S. military action against Iran after nearly 47 years of the Islamic Republic regime.
They expressed hope for a future that might bring greater freedom to the people of that country.
“Thank you, Mr. Trump, for helping us,” said Kathy Vazirnejad as she sat inside Persian restaurant Zaferan Café. “The 21st of March is our New Year. For our New Year’s, we do exchange presents and I think President Trump gave us the best gift as any for this year in attacking this government and killing all of those people.”
Vazirnejad moved from Iran to Utah in 1984, graduated from the University of Utah, and obtained U.S. citizenship.
She said the regime was oppressive and “vicious.”
“They’re just a devil,” she said. “I mean, it’s a government that kills its own people.”
Though she has continued to return to Iran to visit family, she said those visits had become increasingly tense and uncertain, even though most Iranians opposed their own government.
“I have a dual citizenship, Persian passport and an American passport,” Vazirnejad explained. “It’s hard. Each time I go there to the airport, I’m showing them my Persian passport and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, if they see I’m very active in my social media against the government?’”
Numerous other Iranians shared similar stories of their departure from their homeland, including Ramin Arani, who once served for two years in the Iranian army at the age of 18.
“It was right after the Iran and Iraq war and I was part of the team that was cleaning the war zone basically in terms of unexploded shells and land mines and all that,” Arani explained. “I put my life on the line for the sake of my country, although I was not treated as a first-hand citizen.”
Arani said when he left Iran, he migrated to the U.S. and graduated from the University of Utah with an engineering degree.
“Every day, I appreciate the opportunity that was provided to me,” Arani said.
He said for decades, Iranians didn’t believe the day would come when much of the Islamic Republic’s leadership would be taken out in military strikes.
“I believe we are watching history unfolding,” Arani said. “Potentially, the course of history is about to change.”
What that change looks like exactly remains largely uncertain, though there has been much discussion about potential regime change or the Iranian people taking matters into their own hands.
“Regime change is, you know, a be-careful-what-you-wish-for,” said Amos Guiora, a University of Utah law professor and Middle East analyst with family in Israel. “I say, ‘regime change,’ I get the phrase, but how it comes about, time will tell.”
Guiora questioned how long the U.S. intended to stay involved and what the endgame truly is.
“There’s an expression in Hebrew, if I may—zbang ve’ga’mar’no—which means ‘it ends just like that’—that’s not how these things end and obviously there are political calculations,” Guiora said.
He said he feared for the potential loss of life if boots-on-the-ground are ultimately required.
“(If) any of these things turn into a war of attrition, that would be horrible,” Guiora said.
Guiora, however, said he saw the obvious benefit of different leadership in Iran.
“You know, a shah-like Iran that would not be focused on the support of terrorist organizations and committing acts of terrorism—I think that would be a win-win for the world,” Guiora said.
Arani said if regime change does happen in Iran, he would like to see a constitutional monarchy take root like those in Great Britain and elsewhere in Europe.
“Sweden, Norway, these are all systems that are democratic, or I call them semi-democratic and they still have a monarch, which is a continuation of their culture,” Arani said.
Arani talked of the rich and proud long history of Iran, dating back thousands of years, and he believed there is much of that to share with the world today.
“The culture of Iran that is hidden underneath the layers of history I’m talking about, it’s all about light,” Arani said. “Iranian culture, the real one I’m talking about, is all about appreciating life, not ‘death to this,’ ‘death to that.’”
Vazirnejad believed as many as “85 percent” of Iranians supported the return of the shah’s family to Iran to lead, and she predicted a future where Iran is a partner with the U.S. and Israel.
She suspected that maybe one in five Iranians who left Iran because of the regime might consider returning permanently to the country under new leadership.
“It’s going to be very good,” she said. “Hopefully, we are celebrating the New Year with (the Islamic Republic) gone and hopefully by next year, the New Year’s 21st of March, we all go back to Iran, at least to visit.”
George returned from a right ankle sprain that kept him out six straight games.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The crowd reacts as Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) hits a 3-point shot at the Delta Center this season.
Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy didn’t need to see much from his young point guard in his return.
“Making shots, missing shots, it’s not anything that’s in question for me,” Hardy said about Keyonte George. “I just want to see him exert himself physically and competitively.”
In that case, mission accomplished.
After missing nine games in the last month with two different ankle sprains, George returned against the Pelicans on Saturday.
The Jazz lost 115-105.
George’s numbers were fine, scoring 17 points on 4-of-11 shooting in 23 minutes. But Hardy saw enough mobility from George to make him comfortable moving forward.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz Center Mo Bamba sits next to Keyonte George and Jazz forward Jaren Jackson Jr. on the bench in NBA action between the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans at the Delta Center on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
“I thought he made some athletic plays in small spaces. I was more concerned with his willingness to slam on the brakes,” Hardy said. “And I thought he had a couple possessions where he did, where he really pushed it athletically.
“He’s like any player, he’s frustrated. He feels like he should have made a few more shots,” he continued. “But that’s not what I was watching.”
George was on a restriction of 20-24 minutes and he wants to be cautious in the days ahead. Utah plays Denver on Monday before heading on the road.
“Feet are the most precious thing for any athlete. So I want to make sure I feel good, not feeling off balance or nothing like that,” George said. “Just want to be cautious with the ankle injuries and stuff like that.”
But for his return, it was good enough.
“I feel like my pop was there. I didn’t want to force anything,” he finished. “I just wanted to play the game. I feel like I did a decent job tonight.”
SALT LAKE CITY — “If you don’t think you’re a reader yet, it’s because you haven’t found the right book.”
Utah author Sara B. Larson believes there is a book out there for everyone that can make someone love reading. She and dozens of other authors gathered at StoryCon this weekend to teach and inspire young kids to love reading and writing.
“It’s hard to see the drop in literacy that has happened, but it’s also encouraging to see so many people banding together to try and combat it and help our youth,” Larson said.
StoryCon is a literature conference that brings together authors, educators, teens, tweens and everyone in between to focus on the power of literacy. Around 3,500 people flocked to the Salt Palace Convention Center for workshops on writing concepts, shopping for book merchandise, author signings, and even panels about Brandon Sanderson’s famed fantastical universe known as the Cosmere.
Sanderson, one of the most well-known fantasy authors to come out of Utah, said writing can feel isolating because it is such a solitary activity. He attended a conference similar to StoryCon in Nebraska when he was 18, and the opportunity to connect and meet with real authors was “so invigorating.”
“It was so powerful to just have a community. So I’ve always tried to do what I can to support communities, particularly for young people,” he said.
Aspiring writers don’t need to stress about writing the perfect book immediately, Sanderson advises. While some authors get lucky, like Christopher Paolini, who wrote “Eragon” at just 14 years old, most of the time writing is about exploring genres and just improving your skills over time, he said.
Sanderson himself didn’t love reading at first until between his eighth and ninth grade years.
“I went from being a C student to an A student because of books. This was partially because I found myself in the books; I had a reason to care, but your reading comprehension going up helps in all aspects of life,” he said. “Having a fluency with reading, reading for the love of it, which will just build those muscles in your brain, is extremely important.”
Brandon Mull, author of the “Fablehaven” series, said he also didn’t like reading as a kid until he read “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” which made a “light go on.” He now feels he owes C.S. Lewis the credit for how his life turned out.
“When I learned to read for fun as a kid, it changed the trajectory of my life,” Mull said. “I’m a practical example of how big a difference learning to love reading can make for someone.”
Mull focuses on children’s literature and said he tries to write stories that children and families can enjoy. Reading fiction helps children develop “a rich inner life,” learn how to be empathetic and develop their minds to be a place ideas can be explored.
The Utah author will soon be celebrating the 20th anniversary of his book “Fablehaven,” which will include a special illustrated edition of the beloved children’s book, a dramatized full-cast audiobook, and the premiere next year of a film based on the novel. He also will be releasing a new series this year called “Guardians” that he believes is some of his best work.
With so many things competing for kids’ attention every day, it’s crucial to teach them to read, Mull said.
“If we don’t get kids to learn how to read a book and turn it into a story in their head, they are missing an aspect of education that makes them good consumers of information and good consumers of stories,” he said.
Larson agreed with that sentiment, saying people’s brains are being “hijacked” and getting stuck in a loop of only having a 3-second attention span because of social media. Larson has written more than eight fantasy books, including the popular “Defy” trilogy.
“This phenomenon that is happening to our kids, they are losing the ability to focus, losing the ability to even think with any sort of deep analytical process. It’s so vital to get to these kids and help them realize you have got to put down the phone and pick up a book and train yourself to focus,” she said.
There is wealth, knowledge, joy, happiness, peace and calm to be found when you put social media away and instead dive into a book, she said. Reading helps children grow up to be successful adults who can pursue goals, constantly learn and successfully contribute to society.
StoryCon CEO Jennifer Jenkins said it has been overwhelming to see the success of the event. StoryCon was created by the nonprofit Operation Literacy last year and has become the biggest literacy-focused event in Utah.
Growing up, she felt there wasn’t a place for writers compared to athletes or dancers who always had camps and conventions, so she helped found Teen Author Boot Camp, which evolved into StoryCon.
“Kids need to know they are being taken seriously. They need to be validated and know they are being encouraged,” she said. “That’s the why behind all of this. We really want to put them before anything else. These kids are the heart of everything we do.”
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.
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