Valor Energy presents demonstrator reactor in Castle Dale; company stresses safety, aims for rapid activation

Jess Housekeeper, introduced to the council as the presenter for Valor Energy, described progress at the company's React Building near Orangeville and said the site has moved from "sagebrush and dirt" to an assembled reactor and support structures in roughly six months. "We have a whole sprung structure with the reactor inside of it," Housekeeper told the council, and he walked attendees through recent construction milestones and local contracting decisions.

Housekeeper said the project team used modular components and off-site manufacturing to accelerate assembly, noting that when one contractor fell behind they replaced it and completed the work within roughly 30 days. He described the site as operating with federal, state and local coordination and said the lab's mandate includes an explicit safety commitment: "my job as director of this lab is is 3 things, to never sacrifice anything for personnel, public, or environmental safety," Housekeeper said.

During a public Q&A, residents and council members pressed on water, security and worst-case scenarios. Housekeeper said the reactor is a high-temperature gas-cooled design that runs on helium rather than conventional light-water cooling and that "we got about 10 acre feet just for, like, industrial uses" for restrooms and support systems. On the risk of an attack, he described layered perimeter security and said the site has been identified as a "low value target" by security agencies.

On radiological protection, Housekeeper told the council the reactor has substantial shielding: "we have 80 inches of concrete" surrounding the unit, which he said reduces external radiation to acceptable levels. He also described the reactor's fuel form as tiny, multi-layered particles with silicon-carbide cladding that the company expects would remain intact even in extreme events. "Our fuel is in 1 millimeter [pressure vessels] ... it's a little tiny bit of uranium surrounded by carbon, surrounded by silicon multiple layers of silicon carbide," he said.

A radiation-protection specialist who participated in the discussion said planning for a range of scenarios, including monitoring and coordination with emergency management, is central to preparedness. "It is my job actually in radiation protection to plan for all sorts of different events," the specialist said, and urged continued public communication to address misconceptions about nuclear technologies.

Housekeeper closed by inviting further questions after the meeting and by reiterating the lab's stated safety commitments. He also said the team would remain available to speak with residents and local officials following the session.

The council received the presentation and allowed time for questions; the meeting record shows Housekeeper remained after adjournment to speak with attendees. The presentation will be followed up with normal permitting, public-safety planning and routine preplanning between the company and local emergency responders.