Demo / PilotOther / Unclassified
Utah San Rafael Energy Center
📍 Green River, UT (Emery County Co.)Developer: ValarVendor / Tech: Valar
Capacity
0.1 MW
Expected Operation
2026
Reactor Type
Valar Atomics Ward 250
Regulatory Status
Reached zero-power fueled criticality 2026-06-18 at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab — first Reactor Pilot Program criticality outside a national lab; power ascension to 10 kWt 2026-06-22 (ANS).
Details
Primary Use
Demonstration
Grid Connection
WECC
Construction Start
2026
Research detail · verified 2026-10-10
Stage
Test reactor running
Commercial power
No (test, research, military or demonstration)
Key dates
2025-08-12 selected for DOE Reactor Pilot Program; 2025-09-25 ground broken; 2026-02-15 reactor airlifted by C-17 to Utah ('Operation Windlord'); 2026-06-18 criticality; 2026-06-22 power ascension to 10 kWt; 2026-06-26 public passive-cooling safety demonstration
Workforce
Valar says 30+ Castle Country (Carbon/Emery County) businesses took part in the build (e.g., TSJ Construction, J&T Engineering, Jones & DeMille Engineering) and it is creating paths for plant operators, welders, electricians and technicians. Open postings in Orangeville include Apprentice Instrumentation & Electrical Technician, TRISO chemical plant process technician/engineer, health physicist, and head of Utah site. Regional partners named: Southeastern Utah Regional Development Agency, Emery County, Carbon County, Orangeville City, Utah Office of Energy Development.
Not verified / conflicts
Valar's Castle Country page says Ward 250 'generated electricity July 1' 2026; not confirmed by an independent source I opened. No stated job counts. ANS also reports a Valar-Nvidia 30-MW data center partnership (site not confirmed).
Sources
- https://www.ans.org/news/article-8178/the-deadline-arrives-checking-in-on-the-reactor-pilot-program/
- https://www.neimagazine.com/news/valars-ward-250-achieves-criticality/
- https://valaratomics.com/castle-country
- https://www.castlecountryradio.com/2026/02/16/u-s-military-delivers-test-nuclear-reactor-to-utah-now-awaits-transportation-to-the-san-rafael-energy-research-lab/
- https://workingreen.jobs/offers/apprentice-instrumentation-electrical-technician-at-valar-atomics-orangeville-utah-united-states
- https://workingreen.jobs/offers/head-of-utah-site-emergency-management-and-security-at-valar-atomics-orangeville-utah
About
0.1 MW thermal capacity
Key Organizations
Developer
Valar
State Policy Context
View nuclear-related legislation and energy stats for Utah