Citing a growing need to replace coal in its power portfolio in the future, Murray’s City Council has voted 4-1 to continue its investment in exploring the country’s first small modular nuclear reactor.
Murray is a member of the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), a consortium of municipally owned power systems in Utah and several other Western states that has partnered with NuScale Power to study and create the technology. The proposed 12-module plant would be at Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, where it could power Utah’s cities from hundreds of miles away.
“I feel that at some point in time these SMRs could serve as a coal-fired power plant replacement,” Murray Power Manager Blaine Haacke told the council before Tuesday’s vote. “As you know, coal plants are coming under fire. Even with today’s news, they’re still coming under fire with policies and regulations that are making them go obsolete.”
Taylor Stevens – Salt Lake Tribune – August 22, 2018.
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