Construction begins on Natrium reactor training center

The details: The 30,000-square-foot KTC will host all Natrium plant operation training activities and support all operator-accredited programs, helping to build the future workforce for the advanced nuclear industry. The KTC will house the Natrium training simulator, laboratories for electrical and instrumentation & control (I&C), mechanical and scientific laboratories, training classrooms, an auditorium, and more.

“The future of energy will only come to fruition if we have a skilled, dedicated, and robust workforce. The Kemmerer Training Center will serve as the central hub for future Natrium operators who will deliver the reliable and flexible power communities need,” said Chris Levesque, TerraPower president and CEO. “We are proud to be building this facility on the site of our first Natrium plant. The proximity between the plant and the training center, along with the ongoing support of the Kemmerer community, are invaluable as we continue to advance America’s next nuclear power plant.”

Natrium project: TerraPower broke ground on the Natrium project in 2024 and immediately began construction efforts.

The Natrium design features a 345-MW sodium-cooled fast reactor with a patented molten salt–based energy storage system. According to TerraPower, the storage technology can boost the system’s output to 500 MW of power when needed. Designed to keep base output steady, it ensures constant reliability and can quickly ramp up when demand peaks. The decoupled design separates major structures into two independent islands—nuclear and energy—which reduces the quantity of specialized materials, cutting plant costs and accelerating construction timelines.

The first Natrium plant is being developed through the Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), a public-private partnership. The ARDP was awarded under President Trump’s first administration, and continued federal support for deploying new plants was outlined in President Trump’s recent executive orders. The project is expected to be completed in 2030 and will be the first utility-scale advanced nuclear power plant in the United States.