Less than a week after announcing it would explore using nuclear power, Denver International Airport has put on hold plans to commission a study of the option.
The move came after Denver Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore questioned why the airport didn’t talk to the community and residents around DIA before issuing requests for proposals to conduct a feasibility study. Gilmore represents District 11, which includes the airport.
The councilwoman said she asked Phil Washington, airport CEO, to pull the requests because “there had not been any community conversation with the folks in my neighborhood.”
The process was put on hold Friday, according to DIA. “Our goal is to present this idea to the community, listen to their feedback, and understand what they would like to see included in the feasibility study,” the airport said Tuesday in a statement.
The airport typically would wait until a study was underway to seek community input, not while proposals for the study were being sent out, according to the statement. “However, since it was requested, we are happy to do so.”
Gilmore said people in her district have questions about safety, the nuclear waste and development of the area on and near the airport.
DIA is the third-busiest airport in the country and the sixth-busiest in the world. Washington has said the airport is exploring the possibility of building a small nuclear reactor on its campus to help meet growing demands for electricity and cut the use of carbon-emitting power.
The airport is expected to see more than 120 million passengers by 2045. A record-breaking 82.3 million traveled through DIA in 2024, up 5.8% from 2023.
The option of nuclear power has gained traction as a way to deliver electricity with extremely low greenhouse gas emissions while meeting rising demands for power. The benefits of small, modular nuclear reactors include a much smaller footprint than conventional nuclear reactors and the ability to add modules as more power is needed.
The Colorado General Assembly passed a law this year that adds nuclear power to the list of clean energy resources. Utilities can use it to meet state clean energy goals.
However, the small reactors are still in development in the U.S. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has licensed two reactor designs by NuScale Power Corp. The Idaho National Laboratory is working with companies and the Department of Energy to test and demonstrate the technology.
Experts say it could be five to 10 years before small module reactors are operating in the U.S. Questions remain about how expensive the reactors will be and how the waste will be handled. Nuclear waste is currently stored where it’s produced because there is no national disposal site.