Denver International Airport (DIA) is considering going nuclear, and for once, that might actually be a good thing.
According to reporting from The Denver Post’s Judith Kohler, Mayor Mike Johnston and DIA CEO Phil Washington announced that the airport has issued a request for proposals to study the feasibility of installing a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) on-site. These compact power plants, still under development in the U.S., offer zero-emission energy and could meet the future electricity demands of an airport that’s expecting more than 120 million travelers a year by 2045.
If this sounds like science fiction, it’s not. Just slow-moving bureaucracy fiction. The technology is already operating overseas, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has licensed two U.S. designs. But domestic rollout could still be 5 to 10 years away, thanks, in part, to endless permitting purgatory and sticker shock from past projects.
Still, the goal is bold. If the study confirms feasibility, DIA could become the first airport in the world with on-site, zero-emissions nuclear power. Now we’re talkin’ – clean energy without needing a wind turbine on every concourse or a solar panel glued to every jetway.
The Bullet Point Brief
- DIA wants its own nuclear reactor: Not a Chernobyl clone, but a small modular version built offsite and trucked in, designed for modern use and safer operations.
- The feasibility study is underway: At a price tag of up to $1.25 million (from airport revenues), the study will explore costs, risks, financing, tech options, and more.
- Massive energy needs drive the interest: DIA already uses solar for about 30% of its energy, but future power demands (including EVs, data centers, and growth) require more juice.
- “All-of-the-above” energy strategy – except fossil fuels: Johnston said the goal is to keep expanding renewables but without excluding this bold nuclear option. Smart – if he means it.
- Federal speed bump alert: Even with new licensing progress, the feds move slower than airport baggage handlers in a snowstorm. Without help from D.C., this may sit on a shelf like so many other “studies.”
My Bottom Line
Okay, let me be clear: I never thought I’d say this, but… I agree with Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. And no, I haven’t been drinking.
Exploring a small-scale nuclear reactor at DIA is a damn fine idea. I’m a huge proponent of nuclear power because it works. Today’s economy is power-intensive, and tomorrow’s? Even more so. You’re not going to run a fleet of EVs, giant data centers, and a global airport on good vibes and solar panels alone. We need the natural gas under Weld County’s feet, and we need nuclear in the mix – all of the above, minus the unicorn nonsense.
But here’s the catch: government loves to study stuff… and then do jack squat with it. This feasibility study can’t become another shelf trophy sitting in a dusty file cabinet at City Hall while the lights flicker at Gate C47. If we’re going to do this, we need the federal government to speed up the damn permitting process. DIA is the perfect test case: secure perimeter, massive infrastructure, and public visibility. Let’s make it a success story, not another bureaucratic punchline.
