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An artist’s rendering of NuScale Power’s small modular nuclear reactor plant. Photo courtesy of NuScale.
Photo: Oregon State University | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Wikimedia Commons

Startup Seeks 456 Nuclear Reactors For Data Center On Utah Public Land

Valar Atomics applied to build Project Beehive, a nuclear-powered data center on more than 9,000 acres near Price, Utah, featuring about 456 small reactors and on-site fuel and waste facilities.[1]

Together the reactors would produce about 9.6 gigawatts of electricity for data centers and deliver thermal heat for industrial uses.[1] The Bureau of Land Management's Utah office said it has received Valar's application and is checking it for completeness ahead of a full environmental review with public input.[1] Valar's timeline calls for nonnuclear construction to begin in late 2026 and for initial reactors to come online in 2028.[1]

Valar wants the project on more than 9,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management land near Price and about 650 acres of Utah state land.[1] Its plan includes on-site nuclear fuel production and a nuclear waste storage facility, a scale that would be unprecedented for a data center campus.[1]

  1. NPR
Energy Infrastructure Nuclear Power & Regulation Technology and Data Centers
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📌 Key Facts

  • Valar Atomics proposes Project Beehive on over 9,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management land near Price, Utah, plus about 650 acres of state land.
  • The plan calls for approximately 456 small nuclear reactors, along with on-site nuclear fuel production and nuclear waste storage facilities.
  • In aggregate, the reactors would provide about 9.6 gigawatts of power for data centers and additional thermal heat for industrial applications.
  • The BLM Utah office confirmed it has received Valar’s application and is reviewing it for completeness before a full NEPA process with public input.
  • Valar’s proposed schedule would start nonnuclear construction by late 2026 and bring initial reactors online in 2028.

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