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Fact loc-020

newrecordconfirmed Emery's other nuclear site: Green River's Blue Castle plan revived with Holtec reactors; Valar also applied nearby
2026-05-27 · loc-020 · Blue Castle Holdings, Holtec International, Fulcrum Point Holdings, Hi Tech Solutions, HEAL Utah, Kane County Water Conservancy District, San Juan County Water Conservancy District, Jordan Leonard

Nuclear siting in Emery County is not only Valar. Near Green River, Blue Castle Holdings leased water rights totalling 53,600 acre-feet from the Kane County (29,600) and San Juan County (24,000) water conservancy districts for a proposed nuclear power plant; the Utah Court of Appeals affirmed approval of the change applications in July 2016 against a challenge by HEAL Utah and others, noting the project still needed an environmental review and an NRC early site permit application (2016 UT App 153). On 27 May 2026 Fulcrum Point Holdings (a Hi Tech Solutions affiliate) announced a joint venture with Blue Castle (KSL; Holtec's release is dated 28 May and Utah Business carried the Fulcrum release on 29 May) to take the project through federal licensing with Holtec SMR-300 reactors, which can use air cooling; Emery Commissioner Jordan Leonard and the governor's energy adviser are quoted in support. Neither release gives an NRC filing date; the Fulcrum release's company description puts the multi-unit Blue Castle project at up to 2,200 megawatts, while KSL noted the announcement did not specify the Green River capacity. KSL (27-28 May) reported HEAL Utah's concerns about water use, the Colorado River and waste. At the 30 June 2026 Carbon/Emery economic development committee, a Hi Tech Solutions director said the site had been studied, land and access secured, and the project was in the application process (ETV). The Emery Commission voted in September 2025 to support Green River as a site for a state nuclear project (gov-021). Separately, Valar filed a 10,270-acre 'Green River Gigasite' reactor and data-center application with BLM in February 2026, which it later told a reporter it had dropped while BLM still lists it pending (mine-006, mine-008). No record read connects the Blue Castle project to Valar. The NRC's site refused our reader, so no NRC filing for either could be checked.

In plain termsGreen River, at the east end of Emery County, has had a nuclear plant proposal since the 2000s, backed by a large block of river water rights a court upheld in 2016. In May 2026 new partners revived it with smaller reactors that can be air-cooled. Valar separately applied for a huge tract near Green River and then said it had dropped it. So Emery County faces two or more nuclear proposals besides the test reactor, each on its own track.
verified 2026-09-29: Re-read the court opinion, both releases and KSL: holds, except 'neither release gives capacity' (the Fulcrum release's boilerplate says up to 2,200 MW), now corrected; announcement date set to 27 May per KSL. Correction 2026-09-29 (wording review): tool names removed from the note and source title.

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