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Commissioners describe arrival of small advanced nuclear prototype for local testing
Summary
Commissioners reported that a small, advanced nuclear reactor prototype was transported from California to Hill Air Force Base and staged for testing near Orangeville; county leaders called it a potential economic and energy-development opportunity and said federal officials fast-tracked several companies for similar projects.
Commissioner Martinez told the commission that a historic transport occurred Sunday when "a nuclear reactor was transported from California to Hill Air Force Base" and later to a test facility near Orangeville for prototype testing. Martinez said the device is a very small experimental unit and that evacuation concerns would be limited to approximately 100 feet in the unlikely event of an isotope release, framing it as an advanced technology rather than the larger reactors familiar from media portrayals.
Commissioner Jensen added that the operation moved quickly and involved multiple C-17 cargo flights and scores of personnel: "There must have been 50 or more" workers and equipment on site, he said. Both commissioners emphasized the project as part of a federal fast-track for advanced nuclear companies and described it as complementing Carbon County's energy economy as the technology is tested and the local workforce and facilities engage with the effort.
