2-Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus RFI.docx

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Future Participation in Utah’s Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus This Request for Information (“RFI”) is issued in accordance with the State of Utah Procurement Code, Utah Code Annotated (“UCA”) Chapter 63G-6a, and applicable Rules found in the Utah Administrative Code (“UAC”). If any provision of this RFI conflicts with the UCA or UAC, the UCA or UAC will take precedence.

Executive Summary The Utah Office of Energy Development (“OED”) invites industry, academia, investors, utilities, national laboratories, technology developers, entrepreneurs, and strategic partners to help shape one of the nation's most ambitious energy initiatives - Utah’s Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus (“NLIC”).

Background On January 28, 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) issued a Request for Information (“RFI”) inviting states to express interest in hosting a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus, an initiative to modernize the nation's nuclear fuel cycle and strengthen U.S. leadership in advanced nuclear energy. The State of Utah submitted a formal response in March 2026 outlining the state's vision and unique strengths in supporting this national effort.

Utah's diverse economy, strategic location in the Intermountain West, and expanding nuclear ecosystem position the state to play a leading role in the next generation of nuclear infrastructure. As one of the few states with assets spanning multiple segments of the nuclear fuel cycle, Utah is home to the nation's only fully licensed and operating conventional uranium mill, a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility, and domestic nuclear-grade zirconium manufacturing capabilities.

The state has also cultivated one of the country's most comprehensive advanced nuclear development portfolios through partnerships supporting reactor demonstration, fuel fabrication, component manufacturing, workforce development, and first-of-a-kind reactor technologies. These collaborations reflect Utah's long-term commitment to nuclear innovation while laying the foundation for an integrated ecosystem spanning the full nuclear lifecycle. Building a successful Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus will require expertise across research, fuel cycle services, advanced manufacturing, reactor deployment, workforce development, and supporting infrastructure. Backed by a nationally recognized pro-business environment, exceptional fiscal stability, world-class research institutions, a growing skilled workforce, and strong support from state leadership, Utah has positioned itself to host all aspects of the nuclear industry.

In addition to strong supporting forces endemic to Utah, the State’s legislature and offices have developed unique initiatives including, Governor Cox’s leadership in Operation Gigawatt and Permitting Reform, The Office of Energy Development’s Nuclear Public Education and Community Outreach campaign and High Cost Infrastructure Tax Credit, and State Legislation S.B. 135 and H.C.R 1. Utah provides an environment where organizations can work together to accelerate innovation across the full nuclear lifecycle, from fuel production and advanced reactor deployment through recycling, material recovery, responsible management of residual materials, and commercialization.

This RFI aims to collect information necessary to compile a coherent vision of the infrastructure, workforce, technology, financial, and governance requirements an NLIC facility may need in order to accomplish the objectives of the DOE and the State. The questions contained within the RFI cover a broad array of subjects. Responders do not need to respond to questions that are not relevant to their entity. Furthermore, OED welcomes additional information beyond the scope of the questions if the additional information would serve OED in successfully developing Utah’s NLIC.

Procurement Unit The OED is the issuing procurement unit and the conducting procurement unit for this RFI (referred to as “the State”). The reference number for this RFI is AS27-3. This reference number must be referred to on all submittals, correspondence, and documentation submitted to the State relating to this RFI.

Purpose of this RFI This RFI advances Utah’s stated interest in developing an integrated NLIC that may include all segments of the nuclear fuel cycle. The State is issuing this RFI to gather information about different commercial and technical arrangements that might be available to the development of Utah’s NLIC.

This RFI is a request for information only. This RFI does not itself authorize a specific nuclear facility, material transfer, shipment, or disposal action. Implementation will require the applicable federal and state licenses, statutory approvals, agreements, environmental reviews, site-characterization activities, and local and Tribal engagement. Rather, the State seeks to obtain information, comments, or suggestions from persons responding to this RFI (each a “Responder”) before issuing any request for proposals in the future. Any information obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be used by the State on a non-attribution basis for planning and strategy development. The State will not reimburse costs incurred in responding to this RFI. Responders are advised that the State is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to the Responders with respect to any information submitted under this RFI.

Responses to this RFI are “protected records” under the Government Records Access and Management Act, Utah Code Ann. § 63G-2-101 et seq. (“GRAMA”). However, Responses will no longer be protected after the date on which the earlier of these two events occurs: (a) a contract directly relating to this RFI has been awarded and signed by all parties; or (b) a final determination is made not to enter into a contract that relates to the subject of the request for information, and at least two years have passed after the day on which this RFI was issued.

Additionally, Responders to the RFI may seek to classify certain information in their Responses as confidential business records and may submit a claim of business confidentiality under Utah Code Ann. § 63G-2-309. (However, the State recommends that Responders do not attempt to designate an entire Response as confidential.)

Neither this RFI nor any Response is an offer and none of the foregoing may be accepted to form a binding contract.

Commercial Technologies of Interest for the NLIC Responses to this RFI are encouraged for the following commercial activities of interest for the NLIC and will serve to enhance the nuclear ecosystem. Responders should identify the maturity and licensing status of proposed activities.

· Uranium Conversion - The majority of uranium enrichment processes require conversion of uranium to UF6 as a first step. With the expansion in demand for enriched uranium, and only one conversion facility existing in the U.S., there is a need to add capacity and diversify supply. There are also new and advanced methods of performing conversion. Utah seeks to host the development and commercial deployment of these uranium conversion facilities.

· Uranium Enrichment - Similar to conversion, uranium enrichment will become a bottleneck to the expansion of nuclear energy without new domestic capacity. New enrichment plants, including those that host novel methods which improve efficiency or cost and facilities capable of producing high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), are activities of interest for the Innovation Campus.

· Fuel Fabrication - The Innovation Campus may host commercial deconversion and conventional fuel fabrication. It can also be a location where recycled materials and advanced TRU fuels are incorporated into new fuel types, including metallic and TRISO-based fuels. Co-location with recycling facilities may reduce material transportation and support integrated Campus operations, but may also create licensing, safeguards, security, and waste-management issues. Respondents should distinguish commercial, demonstration, and research-stage technologies and provide technology readiness, licensing pathway, safeguards requirements, material inputs and waste outputs, and potential commercial operating date.

· Reactor Supply Chain Manufacturing - Advanced reactor suppliers seeking a location to manufacture their reactors and components can leverage the Innovation Campus to efficiently produce and supply their reactors and products.

· Storage for Staging - The Innovation Campus is planned to support the staging and storage of used nuclear fuel and other nuclear materials necessary to enable recycling, fuel processing, research, and disposition activities. Co-locating staging with other lifecycle functions will support an integrated national nuclear materials management system. Respondents with relevant technologies, facilities, inventories, or expertise should describe how they can integrate with and support other NLIC functions.

· Used Nuclear Fuel Recycling - Recycling and reprocessing of used nuclear fuel are intended to be cornerstone functions of the Innovation Campus. Advancements in conventional aqueous processes and novel pyrometallurgical and plasma-based separations processes may allow used fuel recycling to be cost competitive as a source of fissile materials compared to conventional mining and enrichment. Respondents should explain the conditions under which their process could be commercially competitive with newly mined, converted, and enriched uranium, and should evaluate whether co-location would simplify or complicate licensing, material handling, and security of their facilities.

· Isotope Utilization - Some recycling concepts may recover transuranic elements or fission products for medical, industrial, research, energy, or other applications for substantial added value from used nuclear fuel. This economically enables the recycling industry, while reducing the heat load, volume, and radiotoxicity of used nuclear fuel at final disposal. Companies seeking to commercialize recovered isotopes should describe the benefits of co-location at the NLIC, such as material access. Responses should qualify how recovery changes waste forms, final disposition requirements, prospective commodities and quantities, isolation periods, and transportation requirements.

· Final Disposition - A key piece of the Innovation Campus is the safe and responsible disposition of radioactive materials produced by the nuclear industry and Innovation Campus. There are a variety of approaches to final disposition including mined repositories and deep boreholes. Construction, licensing, and operations of a final disposition facility will be the responsibility of the federal government. However, Utah is exploring how these approaches could support an integrated national lifecycle strategy in conjunction with recycling, fuel processing, material recovery, and other NLIC functions, and invites responses from those with expertise in these disposition areas. Respondents should explain how waste form, content, repository design, and site characteristics affect repository suitability, and should separate conventional approaches from research concepts.

· Nuclear Generators - Nuclear power providers that can provide power to the Innovation Campus and/or heat to industrial operations noted above, are encouraged to respond. Co-locating a nuclear reactor with NLIC facilities could provide numerous benefits, including physical proximity to both the front-end and back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle.

· Site Planning - The U.S. has tremendous experience in planning large industrial projects of this nature. The State understands that there are many who can offer expertise in planning and organizing the campus operations. Utah welcomes responses which specifically outline services which can be provided to convene partners and users of the facilities while planning construction and multi-user assets, facilities, and utilities across partners.

· Construction Management and Operations - Organizations with experience in construction management, engineering, navigation of licensing, commissioning, and operation of facilities anticipated at the Campus are invited to respond and outline the expertise and capabilities they provide.

· Additional Expertise - Individuals and organizations with additional skillsets and technologies that may be critical to the success of the Innovation Campus are encouraged to respond and outline what they can contribute.

1. CONTENT OF RESPONSES

a) Cover Letter and Executive Summary

i) Please provide a cover letter briefly describing the Responder’s organization and its interest in the NLIC. The cover letter should include a brief executive summary of the entire Response.

b) Responder Information Please provide the following information regarding your company or organization:

i) Company name, headquarters address, and phone number.

ii) Names and contact information for the principal personnel, including areas of responsibility.

c) Company Information

i) Primary market focus, especially as it relates to the NLIC. Describe the specific activity you propose for the NLIC and its current development stage.

ii) Describe relevant federal pre-application, licensing, demonstration, or testing work completed or underway.

iii) Years of operation, and current portfolio of facilities, including industries served.

iv) Investment capacity and planned investments or expansions, including relative scale.

v) Planned facility ownership, financing, development, construction, and operation

d) Interests within Utah While the NLIC will be a central hub of Nuclear development, other regions of the state may support additional operations and economic opportunities for your business and for Utah. Your response may consider including the following information.

i) What other operations do you currently hold within Utah?

ii) Have you performed previous evaluations of Utah sites, and what were the results?

iii) Are there specific regions within the state where you have particular interest?

iv) What things could Utah provide at the Innovation Campus or elsewhere that would be helpful to your business? (e.g. best practices and incentives) Explain why suggestions are necessary, and impact to project viability without requested support.

e) Physical Footprint and Site Requirements

i) Can you provide an overview of the key building and land requirements for a facility? What would be the approximate acreage and footprint required?

ii) What is the required exclusion zone? Any other buffer requirements?

iii) Are there existing facilities you can reference as examples of what you would build?

iv) What are your minimum infrastructure requirements before construction could begin? (e.g. Road access, rail access, utilities including electricity and water)

v) What are the seismic, geological, or environmental conditions that could potentially affect your facility?

f) Construction and Development Timeline

i) What is a typical timeline for location decisions and what does a realistic construction timeline look like for your facility, including key milestones and decision points?

ii) What are the most common causes of construction delays in your experience, and how can a state host help mitigate them?

iii) Would your facility need to be operational before, concurrent with, or after other campus elements? (e.g. reactors, fuel cycle, recycling, staging, disposition, etc.)

iv) What is your preferred engagement process with state officials?

g) Co-location and Campus Integration

i) What co-location requirements or preferences would you have relative to other campus tenants? What are the most critical proximity needs to other campus functions? (e.g. reactors, fuel cycle, staging, etc.)

ii) Are there any shared infrastructure opportunities you are interested in? (e.g. cooling systems, storage, utilities) Identify any proposed transfer or beneficial use of nuclear material, byproducts, or waste between NLIC tenants.

iii) Are there any incompatibilities, separation requirements, or safeguards among other facility or material categories that would impact your business operation?

iv) Can you describe the Campus governance and ownership structure that would best support your proposed activities? (e.g. responsibility for shared infrastructure, common costs, decommissioning, and long-term stewardship)

h) Workforce Requirements

i) What types of workers would your facility require, and at what scale?

ii) Can you provide an estimate of construction workforce vs. permanent operational workforce?

iii) Can you break down estimates of specialized nuclear trades, engineers, operators, security, administrative, and other workforce categories?

iv) Are there particular certifications, security clearances, or licensing requirements for your workforce?

v) What is the typical ramp-up period from groundbreaking to full workforce?

i) Recruitment and Training

i) How do you typically source your workforce? (e.g. locally, nationally)

ii) What examples of training programs or apprenticeship pathways have worked well for you in the past or would you be interested in exploring to meet your workforce needs?

iii) Would you be interested in partnering with Utah universities, community colleges, national labs or other training institutions on workforce pipelines? (e.g. University of Utah, Utah State, Weber State, Idaho National Laboratory)

j) Housing and Community Integration

i) Have you built or worked with local communities to develop workforce housing and related public infrastructure in past projects?

ii) What did that look like? Describe the scale, financing, public-private partnerships, community infrastructure improvements and other community impacts.

k) Environmental and Resource Footprint

i) What is your facility's expected water consumption, and what water quality or source requirements exist? How does operational water differ from construction water needs?

ii) What are the power demand, reliability, and load profile requirements for your facility?

iii) For power demands, would you be self-generating, drawing from the grid, or both? Respondents with potential facility demand above 100 MW are encouraged to review Utah’s large-scale electric service code.

iv) What primary and secondary waste streams would your facility generate, and how are they currently managed? Please provide applicable detail on material form, storage durations, necessary treatments and disposition, anticipated material mass and volume, and responsible parties.

v) How would co-location with other NLIC facilities affect your storage, transport, emergency planning, environmental review, waste handling approach, waste classification, long-term stewardship, decommissioning, or other responsibilities?

vi) Can you identify any used nuclear fuel or other nuclear material that your organization proposes to stage, store, process, recycle, or dispose of through the NLIC? Describe any custodial or functional requirements for your operations (e.g. material packaging, transportation, federal approvals, post-operation material(s) ownership)

vii) Are you aware of or engaged with any federal repository discussions relevant to your waste streams? Describe how those discussions could relate to an integrated lifecycle campus

viii) Are there air quality, noise, or other environmental considerations the State should plan for? What relevant environmental regulations and compliance will your activity require?

l) Safety Systems and Emergency Planning

i) What safety systems are integral to your facility's operations?

ii) What local emergency response or safety infrastructure would you expect the host community to have in place? Identify any capabilities the operator would provide, and which would require local, State, or federal coordination.

iii) Have you operated in close proximity to other industrial or nuclear facilities? Were there any safety coordination requirements?

iv) Can you provide applicable facility and surrounding area safety, safeguards, physical security, cybersecurity, and emergency response requirements?

m) Transportation Requirements

i) What transportation infrastructure would your facility require? Rail access, heavy haul road capacity, port proximity, air freight?

ii) What are the regulatory requirements for transporting your primary materials , products, byproducts, or residual material streams? (e.g. NRC, DOT, federal, certification, notification procedures, route approvals)

iii) Have you worked with Tribal governments or communities along transportation corridors? What did that engagement look like with regard to route planning, community notification, cultural resources, environmental protections, benefits, mitigation, or like topics?

iv) What are the most significant transportation-related risks for your facility, and how have you managed them?

n) Permitting Considerations

i) What are the federal and state permits and approvals your facility would require?

ii) What timeline would you expect for your facility’s permitting process?

iii) What is your experience with federal and state permitting processes?

iv) What would be your environmental review and compliance priorities?

o) Regulatory Environment

i) What are the key federal, State, and local regulatory agencies and relationships applicable to your proposed activity? Describe any relevant existing relationships or pre-application Utah engagement.

ii) What is your preferred approach to ongoing regulatory oversight from State and local entities, including areas where interagency coordination could streamline project implementation?

p) Barriers and Challenges

i) What are the regulatory or permitting challenges specific to your industry or potential project?

ii) What are infrastructure limitations or gaps you foresee at the proposed NLIC site?

iii) How would you address community acceptance or stakeholder concerns? Describe your approach to host-community, local-government, Tribal, and stakeholder engagement, including how community input would impact site selection, project design, communication, and community benefits.

iv) How will your facility integrate into the global market for your products? What is your anticipated facility output or production capacity?

v) How would you address supply chain or logistics challenges to build and operate a facility at the NLIC?

q) Risk Mitigation

i) What are key risks that state and federal partnerships could help address?

ii) What are insurance and indemnification considerations that state and federal partners should be aware of? Clearly identify any requested assumption of liability, financial assurances, and long-term stewardship risks.

iii) What are technology or market risk factors that state and federal partners should be aware of?

r) New Concepts

i) Since the completion of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, reports and legislative proposals have considered ways to facilitate back-end fuel-cycle activities, including potential amendments to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 and the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987. Utah welcomes input on potential state and federal legislation that can directly enable the NLIC, what such legislation may include, and how it may be structured. For any proposal, identify the existing barrier, statutory or regulatory change(s) requested, implications for your project, and any impacts on the broader NLIC.

ii) The State understands that there may be forward looking opportunities, not included in this RFI, that may be pertinent to the future of a lifecycle campus. For example, co-location of major industries powered by nuclear electricity and nuclear heat such as data centers, iron, cement, fertilizer production, etc., could add great value to the Campus. Industrial companies in need of nuclear power and heat are encouraged to respond and describe their proposed activity, physical footprint and infrastructure, electricity and heat demand, and relationship to any associated reactor or nuclear facility.

s) Collaboration The NLIC is intended to be a highly integrated campus, hosting and supporting a variety of functions across the nuclear industry and adjacent industries. Respondents should explain their preferred facility configuration, primary NLIC siting and secondary functions that may be located elsewhere, and address partnership opportunities in the following areas:

i) Colleges and University programs, particularly colleges and universities located in Utah, including mechanical, chemical, civil engineering, policy, business, and workforce programs

ii) Federal agency, national lab, and other federal partnerships where applicable

iii) State partnerships and coordination of NLIC operation, supporting infrastructure, permitting, emergency planning, and transportation

iv) Local government partnerships

v) Tribal government partnerships

t) Additional information

i) Is there additional information not covered in the above questions that you believe would serve OED in successfully developing Utah’s NLIC?

2. RESPONSE FORMAT AND DELIVERY

a. Format Each Response should adhere to the following format:

(1) The Response should be in the form of a .pdf file(s). Each Response should consist primarily of 8-1/2 by 11 inch pages. Larger pages may be used for charts, tables, drawings, and schedules. No text should be included on larger pages except for text that is required for the interpretation of the chart, table, drawing, or schedule.

(2) Responses should be double-spaced in a minimum of 12-point font.

(a) Responders are discouraged from submitting brochures or similar marketing materials.

b. Submitting Questions to the State Questions must be received no later than 2 business days prior to the Response Deadline.

c. Requests for Clarification The State may make requests directly to Responders for clarification to information contained in a Response. Responder shall provide information related to any such requests for clarification within five business days after receipt of such request.

Thank you for your interest in Utah’s Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus. We look forward to your response and to exploring how the Utah NLIC can become your preferred location for nuclear development and commercial deployment.