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Matt Solomon, project manager for the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC) Northwest Colorado Energy Initiative.

Garfield County mulls nuclear energy prospects in Colorado

House Bill 25-1040 paves way for discussion on nuclear energy corridor plan

PRESS RELEASE
February 12, 2025

Garfield County is engaging in discussions on the possibility of nuclear energy generation in western Colorado, as the state mulls a new bill that could change the way it classifies the energy production source. If passed, the bipartisan House Bill 25-1040 would allow greater discussion with participants in the Intermountain-west Nuclear Energy Corridor Plan, which seeks to promote nuclear power in the region.

HB 25-1040 looks to update the state’s definition of “clean energy,” which determines if energy-related projects can receive special financing at the county and city levels. If passed, nuclear energy would be considered a clean energy resource allowing utilities to source it for meeting 2050 clean energy targets, according to the bill’s summary.

A planning and research phase is underway by member states of the Intermountain-west Nuclear Energy Corridor Plan, which currently includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Utah.

In his presentation, Matt Solomon, project manager for the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC) Northwest Colorado Energy Initiative, told the Board of County Commissioners that former state Senator Bob Rankin created AGNC’s energy initiative with a goal of conducting a feasibility study on transitioning the Craig Station power plant (scheduled to close in 2028) in Craig, Colorado, over to nuclear energy.

“When I was asked to come on board, House Bill 23-1247 (Assess Advanced Energy Solutions in Rural Colorado) was already in process, so we pivoted our mission from conducting the feasibility study to supporting 1247 and ensuring that the community was engaged in the process and it wasn’t another top-down Front Range approach,” he said. “We secured funding to conduct surveys and really began our outreach to have fact-based discussions and a data-driven approach.

“The approach we’re taking is, what’s the best-of-the-above approach that supports the community, the county, and the surrounding area?” Solomon continued. “We’re not advocating for any singular source of energy, but we’re also not close-mindedly shutting things down based on media or propaganda.”

Solomon said that workforce and tax data is being gathered to paint a clearer picture of what each energy source brings to the state of Colorado. He added that AGNC has concluded there’s potential for the creation of a Rocky Mountain Regional Economic Development District to help support energy-producing communities.

“We’ll look at nuclear, solar, wind, carbon capture, hydrogen, geothermal, and see what each source generates for our workforce and what’s the tax revenue to each community coming off of those,” he said.

Solomon added that energy needs over the next decade are projected to skyrocket with the prodigious increase in digital activity by consumers.

“The discussion I observed was, eyes are starting to open to the fact that we’re no longer in a system where there’s a three-percent growth in demand every year,” he said. “There is projected a 345-percent growth in demand over the next 10 years because of AI, data centers, and constant demand. … In looking at the data, we have to find solutions.”

Commissioner Mike Samson said that nuclear is something that must be explored as a source for future energy needs, as well as the possibilities from hydrogen energy technology.

“Matt has a wealth of information and has worked on nuclear for years,” Samson said. “He is making, in my estimation, great strides and progress in getting education out to people concerning nuclear energy and its possibilities. I’m in favor of all kinds of energy but some is more feasible and realistic than others.”

Due to Commissioner Perry Will’s previous experience with this issue while serving in the Colorado State Senate, he will provide testimony on behalf of the commissioners to the House Energy & Environment Committee in support of HB 25-1040.

The board voted to support the bill unanimously, 3-0.