Denver airport postpones SMR study amid pushback

Only days after Denver International Airport announced a feasibility study for a small modular reactor, the process is being put on hold after a city council member questioned the rush. 

The delay was urged by Denver City council member Stacie Gilmore who represents District 11 where the airport is located. Gilmore said she was not made aware that a SMR study was imminent.

During an Aug. 6 Denver City council’s transportation and infrastructure committee meeting, Gilmore brought up concerns about water usage and nuclear waste storage.

A Denver International Airport spokesperson said the delay will allow the company to further engage with residents and provide an overview of the proposal.

“The delay will allow DEN the opportunity to provide an overview of the proposal to the community in District 11 and beyond based on feedback from Councilmembers provided last week in committee,” a Denver International Airport spokesperson told Exchange Monitor in a Wednesday email. “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 nuclear feasibility study was first announced by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington on Aug. 6. The study was proposed in an effort to meet the airport’s upcoming energy needs. The study could take 6-12 months to complete and cost up to $1.25 million.

But the request for proposals (RFP) for the feasibility study was postponed on Aug. 8 according to a Denver International Airport spokesperson.

“I want to know from this RFP how we as a city are going to dispose of 3,000 gallons of coolant that will most likely need to be changed out on a regular basis,” Gilmore said at the committee meeting. “Is that going to be stored on DEN (Denver International Airport) property, is DEN going to have to build a warehouse to store this coolant somewhere?”

During Monday’s city council meeting, Gilmore said the announcement was made without considering District 11 residents and environmental concerns.

“There have been no conversations with myself, the council office, none of the RNOs [Registered Neighborhood Organizations] and no one in the community, not even the idea of a feasibility study and nothing about the natural resources that will be affected by that feasibility study,” Gilmore said.