BELLEVUE, Washington – August 16, 2023 – TerraPower announced today the purchase of land in Kemmerer, Wyoming where the NatriumTM[1] Reactor Demonstration Project will be built.
“This milestone purchase marks another step towards providing clean, reliable power to the grid and good-paying jobs in Wyoming,” said Chris Levesque, President and CEO of TerraPower. “We have a great relationship with the community in Kemmerer, and we will continue working closely with local stakeholders and statewide officials as this project moves forward.” The land was previously owned by PacifiCorp.
Wyoming and Kemmerer have a long and rich history of energy production; the Natrium technology is an advanced nuclear reactor and energy storage system and will be the first commercial reactor to be operated in the state. Sited near a retiring coal facility, the Natrium demonstration plant is the only coal-to-nuclear project under development in the world and will provide new jobs in western Wyoming for decades to come. The project is expected to have a peak workforce of 1,600 construction jobs and 250 full-time employees will be needed to support day-to-day operations when the plant comes online.
“In addition to the benefit of clean power and future jobs created, the City of Kemmerer has experienced many positive impacts since being chosen as the site of the first TerraPower Natrium advanced nuclear reactor,” said City of Kemmerer Administrator Brian Muir. “The community is optimistic about our economic future. We’ve already seen increased residential and commercial real estate development.”
The land purchase marks another milestone for the Natrium project. Earlier this month, TerraPower announced the first round of contracts for suppliers supporting the development of the Natrium reactor, strengthening the advanced nuclear supply chain throughout North America. In July, TerraPower announced an MOU with Centrus Energy Corp. to significantly expand their collaboration to ensure the Natrium demonstration reactor has access to high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to meet the project’s 2030 operation date.
The Natrium reactor demonstration project is a public-private partnership, and part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). The demonstration plant will validate the design, construction, and operational features of the Natrium technology. The project features a 345MW sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system.
The storage technology can boost the system’s output to 500MW of power when needed, which is equivalent to the energy required to power around 400,000 homes. The energy storage capability allows the plant to integrate seamlessly with renewable resources.
About TerraPower
TerraPower is a leading nuclear innovation company that strives to improve the world through nuclear energy and science. Since it was founded by Bill Gates and a group of like-minded visionaries, TerraPower has emerged as an incubator and developer of ideas and technologies that offer energy independence, environmental sustainability, medical advancement and other cutting-edge opportunities. It accepts and tackles some of the world’s most difficult challenges. Behind each of its innovations and programs, TerraPower actively works to bring together the strengths and experiences of the world’s public and private sectors to answer pressing global needs. Learn more at terrapower.com.
[1] The Natrium project is a TerraPower and GE-Hitachi technology
