The developer who turned a cave into an industrial park called Rock City has been looking at alternative ways to bring electricity to its underground roads, offices and cold storage — including the possibility of miniature nuclear reactors.
Rock City is a former limestone mine located inside the bluff beneath the Salt Lick Point nature reserve in the village of Valmeyer, a small community of about 1,200 people.
Today, Rock City houses the National Archives, as well as commercial businesses like Little Caesars and food distributor Cargill Meat.
Admiral Parkway Inc., which manages the cave-turned-development, recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Italian nuclear power company Terra Innovatum. The memorandum signaled its interest in potentially bringing up to 50 mini nuclear reactors to Rock City, according to Terra Innovatum announcements.
The company has told shareholders and investors that its target for deployment is 2028. But the technology, called a Solo reactor, first needs approval for use in the U.S. from the federal government’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The company began the process of applying for regulatory approval in January.
Its nuclear reactors are 10 meters tall (about 33 feet) and designed to produce 1 megawatt of electricity each. On average, nuclear power plants generate 1 gigawatt, which is the same as 1,000 megawatts.
“We don’t know if it will ever get approved in the United States,” Admiral Parkway owner Joe Koppeis said. “If it does, I would love to be one to consider it. It’s a long way off, if it happens at all.”
Terra Innovatum didn’t respond to the Belleville News-Democrat’s request for comment about the project.
The publicly-available shareholder and investor messages state that Rock City could be the first commercial location to use the mini nuclear reactors, but Terra Innovatum is also exploring potential alternative sites, including other locations owned by Koppeis.
Nuclear power operators have to follow federal regulations for their radioactive waste, air emissions and radiation to protect public health. They’re also required to have plans to deal with accidents that include policies for notifying and evacuating residents during emergencies.
Alessandro Petruzzi, the cofounder and CEO of Terra Innovatum, was asked about the Solo reactor’s safety features in a recent interview with LilaMax Media. Petruzzi said it’s encased in concrete that is 2.5 meters thick (about 8 feet) to contain radiation. It uses helium instead of water for cooling, which he said prevents a potential hydrogen explosion.
In documentation submitted to regulators, Terra Innovatum has stated that the amount of radioactive waste from the reactor is “expected to be very small” and would be disposed of through licensed vendors.
The search for alternative energy
Koppeis said his search for different ways to power the Rock City businesses has been ongoing for years.
“Our electricity rates are kind of crazy,” he said.
His past ideas have included putting turbines on the bluffs or underwater in the Mississippi River to generate electricity through wind or water power. But the Monroe County community opposed his wind farm proposals. And he said the river is filled with debris that could hamper turbines.
Another possibility he’s researching is a 200-megawatt gas-fired power plant for Rock City. It was the subject of a recent application to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for an Ecological Compliance Assessment.
Developers request consultations from the agency to determine if any protected natural resources could be harmed by a project. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources recommends the consultations happen early in the planning process “before any irrevocable commitments are made.”
The department has terminated the Rock City power plant consultation because the initial request from Sept. 23 lacked plans and other information it said it needed to complete the review, according to public records shared with the BND.
Valmeyer Mayor Howard Heavner said he wasn’t involved in conversations about putting nuclear reactors or a power plant at Rock City.
Valmeyer owns the cave but signed a long-term agreement with Koppeis for his company to develop the property and give the village a portion of the rent tenants pay. Heavner estimated that Valmeyer receives $200,000-$250,000 a year from Rock City.
“I don’t have enough information to tell you if I think it’s a good idea or a bad idea, but you’ve got to look and listen if you want to continue to survive,” Heavner said. “… I’m gonna study up on all this stuff.”
Possible new tenant at Rock City
Construction company Kiewit Corporation has been working at Rock City to prepare an unused part of the cave for a new business to move in, drawing attention from the community.
At least one resident has expressed concerns to the Valmeyer Village Board of Trustees about potential environmental impacts, believing the future tenant could be a data center, according to board meeting coverage by the Republic-Times in Waterloo.
Data center construction has become a booming industry to support growing interest in artificial intelligence. But the servers and storage systems inside data centers have also been used for other kinds of computing. They face criticism for the amount of energy and water they use to power the technology and keep the hardware from overheating.
Koppeis said he is not currently in talks to lease space to a data center and recent alternative energy explorations like the nuclear reactor memorandum have nothing to do with any data center. But he has been open about his desire to attract one to Rock City for years.
He spoke about it in interviews with the St. Louis Business Journal and BND in 2019 and 2020. Before that, he created a data center-specific development company called GridRock to help facilitate the process. He has been promoting what he believes are potential advantages of Rock City, including the cave’s naturally cool ambient temperature of 58 degrees.
“We have talked to several. We would love to get one, but I do not have one at this time,” Koppeis said.
One of the companies he spoke to worked in bitcoin mining, according to information Koppeis published on Admiral Parkway’s website and publicized in past interviews.
Heavner said the only role village officials have with tenants is overseeing permits and enforcing building standards for things like electrical wiring when they move into Rock City.
“That’s his determination whether he pursues something or he doesn’t,” Heavner said.
The recent preparation work was done in hopes of attracting a new tenant, according to Koppeis. But he said no contract has been signed. Kiewit didn’t respond to BND questions.
The possibility of more work is currently under review by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Koppeis said Rock City and the village sought a consultation on the environmental impact of potentially removing some of the groundwater that has accumulated in an underground lake to create more usable space in the cave.
Editor's note: This story was originally published by the Belleville News-Democrat. Lexi Cortes is a reporter for the BND, a news partner of St. Louis Public Radio.
