TerraPower Eyes Wyoming to Usher in Nuclear Power’s Next Generation

The advanced nuclear reactor company TerraPower LLC, founded by Bill Gates, along with PacifiCorp is looking to launch the first Natrium reactor project in Wyoming.

By the end of the year, the exact site of the Natrium reactor demonstration plant will be announced. Advanced reactors are considered critical carbon-free technology since they run on different fuels compared to traditional reactors.

Moreover, these can prove to be a good supplement to sporadic renewable power sources like wind and solar.

“This is our fastest and clearest course to becoming carbon negative,” expressed Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon. Wyoming is the United States’ top coal-producing state and “nuclear power is clearly a part of my all-of-the-above strategy for energy,” he added.

Over the previous year, TerraPower received initial funding of $80 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to demonstrate the capacity of Natrium technology. The department has since promised to provide additional funding, subject to congressional appropriations.

The demonstration plant would take approximately seven years to build, according to TerraPower president and CEO Chris Levesque. Additionally, the plants could cost at least $1 billion to build.

“We need this kind of clean energy on the grid in the 2030s,” Levesque explained.

However, nuclear power experts have highlighted the higher risks of advanced reactors compared to traditional ones. Particularly, the fuel for these plants could be an attractive target for militants looking to create a crude nuclear weapon.

Source: Reuters