Wyoming OKs construction of TerraPower’s Natrium plant

The approval from the Wyoming Industrial Siting Council covers all construction and operational activities on the Natrium plant that are outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. TerraPower plans to continue its aggressive construction schedule, working on both the training center and the energy island portion of the plant that will house the molten-salt energy storage tanks and turbines, according to its January 14 news release. The company broke ground last year at site in Kemmerer, Wyo., near a retiring coal plant.

Natrium is a first-of-its-kind advanced reactor that uses liquid sodium as a coolant instead of water, which enables improved fuel utilization, enhanced safety features, and a simplified design to reduce the overall materials needed to construct the plant, the company said. The 345-MWe reactor has an integrated energy storage system that allows for a boost to 500 MWe briefly if needed for grid resiliency.

Quotable: “This is the first state permit ever awarded to a commercial-scale advanced nuclear project and is a testament to the groundbreaking work of our TerraPower team,” said Chris Levesque, president and chief executive of TerraPower. “Our team has been working relentlessly to successfully maneuver through a complicated, multijurisdictional environment to bring the first Natrium plant to market.”

Federal review: TerraPower is the first and only advanced nuclear developer with a permit application for a commercial advanced reactor submitted to the NRC. Its application was submitted in March 2024 and is on track for approval by December 2026, according to the news release.

TerraPower has support from the U.S. Department of Energy through its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, as well as funding from company founder Bill Gates. The Natrium plant is the only coal-to-nuclear project under development in the world, according to TerraPower.