Valar Atomics Proposed Massive Utah Nuclear Facility
The project seeks to deploy 456 small modular reactors to power data centers with 9.6 gigawatts of energy.
Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Data Centers
Live Poll
Should private companies be allowed to build massive nuclear facilities on public lands in your state?
Valar Atomics has submitted a proposal to federal regulators for Project Beehive, an expansive facility near Price, Utah, that would house 456 small nuclear reactors. This announced project aims to provide 9.6 gigawatts of power for data centers and industrial applications.
Why it matters
The proposal leverages regulatory reforms enacted over the past 18 months that seek to accelerate the development of small modular reactors. It represents a significant potential shift in energy infrastructure, aiming to provide more than double the current average electricity production of Utah.
The facility plans to use 25-megawatt modular nuclear units installed in series, a significant scaling effort compared to the 3.4 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity added nationally since 2000. These units will occupy over 9,000 acres of federal land plus 650 acres of state land.
The players
Valar Atomics
An energy technology company focused on mass-producing small modular nuclear reactors for industrial and data center applications.
Bureau of Land Management
The federal agency overseeing the land near Price, Utah, currently responsible for reviewing the project application.
Department of Energy
The federal department managing the Reactor Pilot Program that currently lists Valar Atomics as a participant.
The details
The facility functions by mass-producing small modular nuclear units designed to operate in a large-scale configuration. Construction is planned in phases, beginning with nonnuclear site development before integrating the reactor modules. The technical feasibility relies on the performance of the Ward 250 test reactor, which achieved criticality—the point at which a nuclear chain reaction becomes self-sustaining—in June 2026.
Timeline
August 2025: Valar Atomics entered the Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program.
June 2026: The Ward 250 test reactor achieved criticality.
July 1, 2026: The company used the Ward 250 reactor to produce electricity.
End of 2026: Nonnuclear construction is scheduled to begin.
2028: The first nuclear reactors are expected to come online.
The Tech Race
Project Beehive marks a major transition from the experimental testing environment of the Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program to full-scale commercial deployment. It seeks to prove the economic viability of mass-produced modular units at a scale not previously seen in modern nuclear deployment.
Residents of Utah and nearby industrial regions should watch for the start of site construction at the end of 2026. This project is intended to change local power availability by adding capacity far exceeding current state production levels, contingent on federal regulatory approval.
The takeaway
Project Beehive aims to scale modular nuclear energy from individual test reactors to a multi-gigawatt utility-scale facility. Readers should track the Bureau of Land Management application review process and the planned 2028 timeline for the first reactor activation.
What happens next
Nonnuclear construction is slated to begin by the end of 2026, followed by the first reactor grid integration in 2028 and full site completion projected for 2032.
Further reading
For more information on the infrastructure demands of modern compute, see our coverage of Data Centers.
Live Poll
Should private companies be allowed to build massive nuclear facilities on public lands in your state?
