"These data centers are descending upon us," O’Neil stated, actively monitoring emerging projects and sharing updates on local community forums. "They are establishing these facilities within a couple of miles of residential areas." Her latest updates focus on Valar Atomics, a nuclear energy startup planning to construct a massive complex featuring 456 small modular reactors (SMRs) on extensive Bureau of Land Management land within the county. SMR technology remains largely experimental and unproven in commercial applications within the United States. The project, dubbed "Project Beehive," has garnered support from the state of Utah, including a lease agreement for a square mile of state-owned trust lands, and is intended to store radioactive waste while powering various industrial ventures, including data centers.

In parallel, another significant data center development, Altigen Energy’s "Jurassic Spark," is planned for the county, slated to encompass hundreds of acres and incorporate a substantial natural gas power plant. This represents a dramatic pivot from Carbon County’s recent economic history. In 2006, the county’s coal mines produced nearly 10 million tons of coal. However, a transition to more cost-effective energy sources, such as renewables and natural gas, coupled with the depletion of accessible coal seams, led to the decline of the region’s primary economic driver within just a few decades. As of 2023, no coal has been mined in Carbon County. "They tell us everything else has left us, and if we don’t take these scraps, we won’t get anything," O’Neil commented, expressing a sentiment that her county deserves more than just leftover opportunities.

The new data center projects entirely eschew coal. The Utah Trust Lands Administration recently finalized a lease agreement with Valar Atomics, granting the company use of a square mile of state-owned land for up to a century. Valar intends to utilize this lease to operate some of its SMRs, process uranium TRISO fuel for the reactors, establish water desalination facilities, manufacture steel, refine critical minerals, and ultimately support data center operations. Projections presented by the Trust Lands Administration staff to its board indicate that Project Beehive could generate approximately $35 million in lease revenues over 50 years, with these funds designated to benefit Utah schools. The state agency, however, declined to provide specific commentary on the Valar project.

During a September board meeting for the Trust Lands Administration, three Carbon County residents employed or anticipating employment with Valar spoke in favor of the project, and all three Carbon County commissioners also voiced their support. Commissioner Larry Jensen acknowledged the current sensitivity surrounding both data centers and nuclear power but emphasized the commissioners’ commitment to advancing these projects. He stated, "It’s important that you understand that the Carbon County commissioners are committed to allowing these things to move forward. Even with the pushback – we realize that there are a few in our community who will push back – but the silent majority are the ones that we really represent."

Cheryl Lupo, a long-time county resident and candidate for the county commission, challenged Jensen’s assertion. As an unaffiliated candidate, she gathered 300 signatures to qualify for the ballot, and during this process, she reported hearing overwhelming opposition to data centers and nuclear power plants. "People are up in arms," Lupo said. "Torches and pitchforks. Because they’re not being heard." Governor Spencer Cox, U.S. Senator John Curtis, and other prominent Utah officials had previously welcomed Valar to the state earlier in the year, permitting the company to test its "Ward250" microreactor at the San Rafael Energy Lab in neighboring Emery County. Valar announced in June that it had achieved "self-sustaining criticality," a process where atomic fission reactions sustain themselves without continuous external neutron input. The company also has plans, in partnership with semiconductor giant Nvidia, to power a 30-megawatt nuclear-powered AI data center in Emery County.

Small modular reactors have yet to be commercially deployed in the United States, and during a recent Trust Lands Administration meeting, board chair Mike Nelson acknowledged the inherent uncertainties associated with the Valar agreement. "We weren’t always sure what to ask about," Nelson remarked, while still commending the nuclear startup, "and probably still aren’t sure of everything to ask about because this is a first, right?" Utah carries a difficult historical legacy concerning nuclear activities. Lupo’s mother passed away at the age of 38, and Lupo attributes her mother’s death to the downwind effects of radioactive weapons testing conducted in nearby Nevada during the 1950s, as her mother resided in Carbon County at that time. Lupo also believes this radioactive fallout contributed to her grandfather’s death. "I will never, ever be a proponent of nuclear," Lupo declared.

Even before the Valar proposal generated significant public discourse, rumors circulated about another potential data center campus in Carbon County. Altigen, a company specializing in constructing natural gas power plants for data centers, has identified an area east of Wellington for its "Jurassic Spark" project, which is projected to span 1,200 acres – nearly twice the size of the Valar campus, according to minutes from the local Community Economic Development Board. Initial plans involve a 250-megawatt gas plant to power the complex, with the potential to expand to 3 gigawatts of electricity generation, a capacity that rivals the total electricity usage of the entire state of Utah. Altigen did not respond to requests for comment.

Data center developers are increasingly turning to natural gas to meet the substantial energy demands of artificial intelligence servers, as utility providers have faced challenges in supplying this escalating need. Last year, the Utah Legislature enacted Senate Bill 132, which permits private companies with energy requirements exceeding 100 megawatts to establish their own self-contained power generation facilities. This legislation aimed to foster business development, including data centers, without overburdening the existing public electricity grid. The consequence has been a surge in construction plans and permit applications for gas-fired power plants. However, natural gas is a potent greenhouse gas, primarily composed of methane, which contributes to climate change and pollutes local air quality. Furthermore, natural gas plants generate significant amounts of heat.

Nuclear plants, however, can produce even greater quantities of heat than natural gas plants due to their lower efficiency, according to Robert Davies, a physics professor at Utah State University. "If you’re in a contained valley, it concentrates the problem," he noted. Coincidentally, the Wellington area is situated within a valley, bordered by the Wasatch Range to the west and the Book Cliffs to the north and east. "The heat island that the data centers produce, that concerns me," expressed Aspen Westenskow, a lifelong resident of Carbon and Emery counties. "They clear all this land, the brush, the trees. What helps cool the planet down? Not flat dirt." Westenskow also highlighted water scarcity as her primary concern, given that the region already faces significant water constraints with all available resources allocated. Valar asserts that its reactors utilize closed-loop helium cooling, requiring minimal water, and data developers have stated their intention to employ closed-loop cooling systems with low water consumption.

On July 3, Carbon County issued a statement addressing residents’ concerns, acknowledging the difficult economic circumstances stemming from the coal industry’s decline. This economic shift has increased the property tax burden on homeowners and remaining businesses. The statement explained that the commissioners support data centers due to their potential to bolster tax revenues. The statement also addressed concerns regarding non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), noting that such agreements are often necessary for companies to explore potential projects in Carbon County. It is unclear whether Carbon County has entered into NDAs with Altigen or Valar, though such agreements are reportedly common for companies considering business in the county. Oran Stainbrook, a former member of the county planning commission and economic development board, stated he was aware of several NDAs during his tenure. Although he was not privy to any specific agreements involving the data center projects, Stainbrook expressed his belief that the commissioners are acting in the county’s best interests by pursuing jobs and investment.

From her home on U.S. Highway 6, O’Neil maintains a different perspective. "You shouldn’t be hiding what you and the company are going to bring to a community," O’Neil argued, "and not tell the community until it’s too late and a done deal." The push for economic revitalization in Carbon County, driven by the decline of its traditional coal industry, is now encountering a complex debate over the introduction of cutting-edge, yet potentially controversial, technologies like SMRs and massive data centers, forcing residents to weigh perceived economic salvation against environmental and safety concerns.