A company that wants to expand North America’s uranium conversion capacity is looking at the Gillette area as a possible home for a new facility.
Nucleon Fuel, a subsidiary of Alberta-based Nucleon Energy, is a Canadian company focused on developing uranium-conversion facilities in North America.
The company wants to build a plant at the Fort Union Industrial Park that would turn uranium concentrate into uranium hexafluoride, the feedstock for enrichment, according to its application to the Wyoming Energy Dominance Fund. It is seeking a grant up to $20 million and a possible $10 million loan to help prepare for construction.
Nucleon is planning for up to three phases of 5,000 metric tons per year each, and it estimates the first phase would cost about $575 million.
The proposal aligns with a broader push to establish northeastern Wyoming as a nuclear energy manufacturing hub. Gillette has already emerged as a target for heavy industry investment, highlighted by major projects such as BWXT's $500 million nuclear fuel plant.
‘Future of Gillette’
Nucleon will host a community open house at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Gillette College’s Main Commons, where company representatives will explain the technology and answer questions from the public.
Gillette Mayor Shay Lundvall told Cowboy State Daily the upcoming open house comes after the company visited Campbell County early in the summer to meet with leadership and the public.
“They were exploring all over the state and all over the country,” Lundvall said. “By the time they left Gillette they were very convinced that Gillette was where they wanted to be.”
Lundvall said he had “the pleasure of” meeting with representatives from Nucleon. In his view, the project would benefit Campbell County.
“It’s super exciting,” he said. “It is good job creation. It keeps our talent here in Wyoming, here in Gillete. It’s just another opportunity for Gillette and the future of Gillette.”
Having the plant, Lundvall said, would also be an educational opportunity. He said the company is interested in partnering with the school districts as well as Gillette College to figure out how to bolster the specific trades needed for the workforce.
As the project is still in the early stages, Lundvall said he’s not sure exactly what comes next. But he said he hopes to see members of the public and local leaders at the upcoming open house.
“There’s a lot of positives,” Lundvall said. “I just encourage folks to come out and learn what the project is and talk to the experts.”
‘Playing with Fire’
Samantha Fowler, a Natrona County resident who closely tracks nuclear development in the state, told Cowboy State Daily she plans to attend the open house next week.
“Nucleon is going to be big business and I’m going to be asking questions,” Fowler said.
Fowler spoke to the Campbell County commissioners during public comment at their Sept. 16 meeting, when she handed them a research binder on Nuclear Regulatory Commission records, regulatory dockets and local siting issues tied to BWXT’s proposed nuclear fuel fabrication plant in Gillette.
She pointed to a 2023 NRC enforcement action and a proposed $87,500 civil penalty against a BWXT unit and said decisions on nuclear development should rest on public records before commitments are made.
She has similar concerns and more about the Nucleon proposal, Fowler said.
“These people are playing with fire," Fowler said. “They want the entire nuclear industrial complex from start to finish.”
Fowler said she knows people in Humboldt County, California, who have been affected by nuclear development there. The county is home to the former Humboldt Bay Nuclear Power Plant, which operated from 1963 to 1976 and was shut down over earthquake fault concerns.
Wants More Transparency
Its spent fuel still sits in dry casks on site because there is no federal repository to take it.
“I know this lady who pulled her own teeth to prove that she was poisoned,” Fowler said.
Fowler said she is also worried about how uranium hexafluoride, the material Nucleon’s plant would produce, can react. When it contacts moisture, including humidity in the air, it forms hydrofluoric acid, a corrosive chemical that can burn skin and damage the lungs.
“Let’s say that happens during rodeo week,” Fowler said of a potential reaction. “How are you going to get the elderly and the children out? How are you going to get the cattle and horses out?”
As a mother, Fowler said she wants more transparency from leaders about how they plan to mitigate health impacts.
“I got babies here that I can’t move,” Fowler said. "I just can’t leave.”
She’s skeptical that the benefits this project claim will actually pan out.
“Where are the jobs going?” Fowler said. “The construction jobs are once, and then they bring in their specialists from out of state.”
‘Coal Mines Have Risk’
For Lundvall, all energy development comes with risks. He also emphasized that coal has long been the staple of Campbell County.
“Coal mines have risk,” Lundvall said. “Coal mines have processes and waste.”
While a conversation facility would be a new addition to the state, Lundvall emphasized that uranium is not.
“We’re really focused on the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle,” Lundvall said. “This works in conjunction with mining and milling and making the yellow cake of uranium, which has already been done for 60 plus years.”
Nucleon’s grant application is open for public comment until Nov. 16. After that it goes to the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office and the Legislative Management Council before Gov. Mark Gordon makes the final call.
Emma Jane Jackson can be reached at emma@cowboystatedaily.com.
