TerraPower, the nuclear energy company founded by Bill Gates, has broken ground on its Natrium nuclear reactor plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming. This landmark event marks the first time an advanced nuclear reactor project has reached the construction phase. Once operational, the Natrium demonstration plant will be a fully functioning commercial power plant, representing a significant milestone in the development of advanced nuclear technology.
According to Gates, who is the founder and chairman of TerraPower, the Natrium plant will be “the most advanced nuclear facility in the world, and it will be much safer and produce far less waste than conventional reactors.” The plant is being built near the retiring coal-fired Naughton power plant, making it the world’s only coal-to-nuclear project under development.
TerraPower aims to hire between 200 and 250 people to work at the Natrium facility, with plans to recruit 110 former coal workers from the Naughton plant, capitalizing on their transferable skills. While the Natrium plant is “potentially” expected to come online in 2030, TerraPower will first construct the non-nuclear components while the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission reviews the company’s construction permit application, which was accepted last month.
The construction process will begin in 2025 with the “energy island,” where the steam turbines and other machinery for generating power will be located. Building the Natrium plant will take several years, and at its peak, it is expected to create 1,600 construction jobs.
TerraPower is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy and the power company PacifiCorp on this project through a private-public partnership.
The Natrium nuclear reactor plant features a 345 MW sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system. This storage technology can boost the system’s output to 500 MW of power when needed, equivalent to the energy required to power around 400,000 homes. The energy storage capability allows the plant to seamlessly integrate with renewable resources, making it the only advanced reactor design with this feature.
In his blog, Gates explained why the Natrium demonstration plant is far safer than any existing nuclear plant. The plant uses liquid sodium, which has a boiling point more than eight times higher than water, allowing it to absorb all the extra heat generated in the nuclear core without needing to be pumped. Even if the plant loses power, the sodium will continue to absorb heat without reaching a dangerous temperature that could cause a meltdown.
Additionally, Gates highlighted that Natrium includes an energy storage system that will enable it to control how much electricity it produces, a unique feature among nuclear reactors.