Building the Nuclear Backbone of the U.S. Economy
June 2025
This article appears in Site Selection Magazine’s July 2025 edition.
A quiet but consequential shift is unfolding across the Intermountain West. Amid national debates over trade policy, reshoring, and energy reform, Utah and its regional partners — Idaho and Wyoming — are acting decisively. Their bet? That nuclear energy will define the next era of industrial competitiveness.
With global manufacturing momentum complicated by tariff volatility and uncertain timelines, many companies are pausing or reevaluating their expansion plans. Yet even as reshoring slows, the acceleration of artificial intelligence and data infrastructure continues unabated. Power-intensive infrastructure — from data centers and electrification to advanced fabs — are outpacing available energy supplies across much of the U.S.
Recognizing this inflection point, Utah has launched “Operation Gigawatt,” a statewide initiative to double electricity generation within the decade. Unlike other states that rely on incremental solutions, wait on Washington, or are hamstrung by misalignment between political factions or public hesitancy, Utah is placing nuclear energy at the core of its strategy. At the state’s recent “Built Here” Nuclear Summit, Utah led the formation of a tri-state compact with Idaho and Wyoming to accelerate nuclear development — through both streamlined regulation and coordinated infrastructure investment.
This approach is not aspirational — it’s already in motion. Through a landmark agreement signed at the summit, global nuclear energy leaders Hi Tech Solutions and Holtec International selected Utah for their Western U.S. operations. Their investment includes a $35 million advanced energy campus, a new training pipeline for high-tech energy careers, and long-term plans to manufacture small modular reactors (SMRs) and nuclear components in the state.
This is more than a power play. It’s a full-stack economic strategy — designed to align clean energy supply with the rising demands of AI, defense, semiconductors, and clean tech manufacturing. For national site selectors and corporate decision-makers, the signal is clear: Utah is de-risking energy as a constraint to growth.
Three differentiators define Utah’s approach:
1. Energy Certainty: With a robust and diversified portfolio of natural gas, coal, solar, geothermal and now nuclear Utah is building near-term stability and long-term scalability — a critical edge in an energy-constrained economy.
2. Regional Coordination: The tri-state partnership enables integrated planning across borders, unlocking advantages for companies requiring multistate supply chains, labor markets, and grid access.
3. Workforce Alignment: Utah is not only expanding energy capacity but also preparing the workforce to support the industries that will depend on it. From high schools to technical colleges, new training pathways are launching now to meet tomorrow’s demand.
As AI continues to scale and advanced industry reinvests in the U.S., the ability to deliver reliable, abundant, and clean energy will separate growth regions from those left behind. Utah is positioning itself at the forefront of that divide — not just welcoming industry but powering it.
The Intermountain West is no longer a quiet corner of the economy. It’s building what’s next — and nuclear is leading the charge.
- Scott Cuthbertson, CEO of Alpen Associates