Powering data centers on nuclear? That’s a tough sell in Utah’s coal country.

In Carbon County, Utah—a region historically dependent on coal mining—proposals to power growing data centers with nuclear energy are facing significant local skepticism and resistance.

Residents in this central Utah pocket have long tied their local economy and livelihoods to the coal industry, enduring associated boom-and-bust cycles and personal sacrifices for energy production.

This community backdrop complicates the introduction of new, alternative power sources like nuclear energy aimed at meeting the electricity demands of modern data infrastructure.