Campbell County has cleared the way for BWXT Advanced Fuels to start testing the ground where it hopes to build a $500 million nuclear fuel plant.
County commissioners approved an access agreement Wednesday, giving BWXT 12 months to drill test borings, install groundwater monitoring wells and conduct wildlife and archaeological studies at the county-owned Pronghorn Industrial Park.
If the site studies go as planned, the next step would be a purchase and sale agreement between BWXT and the county.
A Decade in the Making
Rusty Bell, CEO of Energy Capital Economic Development, has had a front-row seat to the progression of Pronghorn Industrial Park, the 247-acre piece of land east of Cam-plex.
Campbell County bought the property in 2014 with the long-term goal of building an industrial park on part of it.
Bell told Cowboy State Daily that during his time as a county commissioner between 2015 and 2022 he was part of multiple attempts to secure a grant to develop the site.
The county finally landed a $2.8 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration in September 2022, and the Wyoming Business Council followed with a $2.6 million state grant.
Bell said that funding went toward the development of sewer and road infrastructure to get the site shovel-ready for an industrial project.
“The infrastructure to that site was just finished just this late summer,” Bell said.
While the site wasn’t developed specifically for BWXT, Bell said the company’s planned plant, which would turn uranium into fuel for advanced reactors, is a natural fit.
“It’s really exciting to see especially BWXT end up in this site,” Bell said. “It’s an added value to the product we already mine, which is uranium. And it’s a company that’s going to have a large investment and long-term anchor-industry jobs.”
Room to Grow
BWXT told Cowboy State Daily last year that the plant would be a manufacturing complex of 150,000 to 250,000 square feet. Now, Bell said he estimates the facility is closer to 1 million square feet.
Once security fencing, roads and other supporting infrastructure are added, he expects BWXT will likely take up all of Pronghorn Industrial Park’s 247 acres.
Still, Bell said there is ongoing development in the area. He pointed to the Spaeth Ranch, a roughly 5,300-acre property less than 10 miles away that the county has owned since 2024 and is now seeking proposals to develop.
“The opportunity to expand that area out there for industrial purposes is likely,” Bell said.
BWXT’s Road To Gillette
BWXT went public with its Gillette plans in September 2025 after drawing criticism for requiring nondisclosure agreements with city officials. The company said the confidentiality was needed to keep competitors from learning sensitive details about the facility’s size and scope.
About a week later, more than 300 residents turned out for a company presentation on the $500 million plant. BWXT said the facility would bring more than 200 jobs and would neither create nor store spent nuclear fuel or high-level waste, though residents were split between economic hopes and worries about housing, waste and what a nuclear identity could mean for the area.
In December, Gov. Mark Gordon announced $100 million in state matching funds for the project, with BWXT putting in more than $473 million of its own money.
In May, BWXT named Kairos Power as its first customer and a production partner. The company said it expects to break ground in 2028 and have the plant running in 2030 or 2031.
‘A Step in the Right Direction’
Campbell County Commissioner Jim Ford told Cowboy State Daily the agreement is meant as a first step toward a land sale.
“It’s just a preliminary agreement that gives them and their contractors access to the county-owned land,” Ford said.
Erik Nygaard, BWXT vice president of commercial microreactor products, told Cowboy State Daily in an email that the company has been in regular contact with state and local officials, including about the steps involved in buying the land.
Nygaard said BWXT told the community at its July open house that it would be entering this due-diligence phase, which includes getting onto the site to do basic characterization work.
“Everything is progressing as expected and we appreciate the continued cooperation we’re receiving from the community,” Nygaard said.
Gillette Mayor Shay Lundvall, a longtime supporter of BWXT’s plans, told Cowboy State Daily this is a county project but that it aligns with the growth he wants in the city.
“I want to keep jobs here,” Lundvall said. “I want to create jobs. I want good workforce. That’s my vision.”
Though the city isn’t driving the land deal, he said he’s excited to see it progress.
“It’s super exciting,” Lundvall said. “What it conveys is a project that is historical and it’s a step in the right direction.”
Emma Jane Jackson can be reached at emma@cowboystatedaily.com.
