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NRC approves TerraPower construction permit
Today, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it has approved TerraPower’s construction permit application for Kemmerer Unit 1, the company’s first deployment of Natrium, its flagship sodium fast reactor.
This approval is a significant milestone on three fronts. For TerraPower, it represents another step forward in demonstrating its technology. For the Department of Energy, it reflects progress (despite delays) for the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). For the NRC, it is the first approval granted to a commercial reactor in nearly a decade—and the first approval of a commercial non–light water reactor in more than 40 years.
20th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics (NURETH-20)
Dr. Per Peterson is a Co-Founder & Chief Nuclear Officer of Kairos Power. Dr. Peterson also holds the William and Jean McCallum Floyd Chair in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
He is an expert in topics related to high-temperature fission energy systems, safety and security of nuclear materials, and waste management. As a member of the Evaluation Methodology Group, he participated in the development of the Gen IV Roadmap while serving as co-chair for the Proliferation Resistance and Physical Protection Working Group. His research has contributed to the development of the passive safety systems used in the General Electric ESBWR and Westinghouse AP1000 reactor designs. With Charles Forsberg and Paul Pickard, in 2003, he proposed the FHR concept of a molten-salt cooled, solid fueled reactor.
Dr. Peterson graduated from the University of Nevada at Reno with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Last modified July 28, 2023, 2:17pm EDT
