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UAMPS outlines 183 MW peaker plant outside Holden; county commissioners hear plans, timelines and local impacts
Summary
Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems outlined a proposed 183‑MW, air‑cooled peaker plant north of Holden at the Millard County Commission meeting June 3, describing the project’s technology, timelines and infrastructure requirements.
Representatives of Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) presented details June 3 on a proposed 183‑megawatt reciprocating-engine peaker plant north of Holden, saying the project is intended to provide fast-response generation to pair with intermittent renewable sources.
Mike Squires, UAMPS managing director of government affairs, said the project is a member-driven attempt to stabilize capacity and reduce reliance on market purchases. “We’re really facing a lot of upward pressure when it comes to market purchases,” Squires said, and the peaker plant is intended to help meet member communities’ needs.
Project technical lead Scott Messersmith described the facility as a bank of large reciprocating internal-combustion engines (RICE), roughly 10 engines in total, sited on 20–30 acres, with fast ramp-up and ramp-down characteristics that make them useful for balancing solar and wind. “They are massive,” Messersmith said, and emphasized they can be turned on and off “really quickly” compared with larger combustion turbines.
UAMPS said the plant would be air‑cooled to minimize water consumption; the design uses closed-loop cooling with occasional replenishment rather than continuous large withdrawals. Messersmith said the project will include a fire-suppression water tank and likely trucked water for that purpose rather than relying on a large local well. He estimated the site would employ 12–15 full‑time staff after construction; construction itself would create many temporary jobs and could take about 18–24 months once financing and interconnection approvals are in place.
The project depends on two infrastructure pieces: a gas feed (the Kern River pipeline corridor was discussed) and a transmission tie to the nearby substation the presenters identified on maps as the Pavant substation. UAMPS has filed the Large Generator Interconnection Application (LGIA) and said transmission studies will take roughly a year to complete; any required substation and transmission upgrades would be governed by the system operator’s studies and cost allocations.
Commissioners asked practical questions about local benefits, workforce and water. Commissioner Wright said the county should pursue workforce training so local residents can qualify for jobs the plant would create. Squires and Messersmith said membership cities — including four in Millard County — would be first in line to receive power and that the project is being developed to serve those members’ needs.
UAMPS said they have secured financing commitments and retained Burns & McDonnell for design work. The presenters characterized the plant as a relatively small, flexible resource compared with large base-load plants and said it could potentially accept hydrogen blends in the future if the technology matures.
No formal county action was taken June 3; UAMPS representatives said they will continue working with county planning staff on siting, transmission studies and conditional-use permitting as the project advances.
