Blue Castle Holdings is making the case that a new nuclear plant in Utah is both necessary and feasible during a court proceeding this week that could determine the future of the project.Led by a group of power and nuclear industry veterans that includes a former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, BCH formed to pursue a license for two reactors in Emery County. So far, they've collected promising data on the site's geology and also received Green River water rights initially set aside for an unbuilt coal plant. But opponents of nuclear power lead by HEAL Utah challenged the water rights transfer in court, arguing BCH could not demonstrate the financial wherewithal or future power demand needed to justify the project.During proceedings this week, the Salt Lake Tribune reported, executives testified that in the next two decades closures of coal plants generating 3,800 megawatts will ensure regional demand for the new reactors. They also emphasized that BCH would not actually build the plant, but rather take the risk associated with licensing a site and then sell the option to build the units to a utility like PacifiCorp. That company has acknowledged the reactors as a potential power source in its integrated resource plan, although the same document notes it will not likely be an option before 2030.
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