Denver Airport releases RFP for small modular reactor feasibility study; council members press on water, waste and outreach

Denver International Airport officials told the City Council’s Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on Aug. 21 that the airport has released a request for proposals for a feasibility study on small modular nuclear reactors and will return with the study’s findings before the council would be asked to approve any contract or construction. Phil Washington, chief executive officer of Denver International Airport, said, “That RFP went out at 08:18 this morning.”

The study is meant to assess whether small modular reactors—factory-built nuclear fission units that can be “stacked” to add capacity—are a viable way to meet growing airport electricity needs, improve resilience and support future development. Dave LaPorte, chief operating officer at the airport, told the committee the airport’s current load is about 45 megawatts and that new and planned facilities could increase demand substantially: the consolidated rental car facility alone will require roughly 40 megawatts, ground support equipment could add about 60 megawatts, and a recent Xcel Energy estimate cited by the airport suggests a likely need for about 235 additional megawatts (with a high-end estimate near 400 megawatts) as projects and advanced air mobility options develop.

Why it matters: Denver’s airport is a major regional economic engine and is expanding facilities and services as part of a 12-year, $12 billion capital improvement program. Airport leaders told the committee that the SMR study would consider safety, security, costs, permitting and regulatory requirements and that any future construction would be contingent on study results and subsequent council approvals.

What the airport proposes: The RFP frames the study as a 6–12 month effort that the airport expects to cost in the order of $1 million, according to committee discussion. The airport’s timeline shown to the committee calls for selection of a vendor in the fourth quarter of the year, presentation of study results to the committee and then, if recommended, a contract award that would come back to the full council for approval. Phil Washington…