Bill Gates-backed new nuclear reactor passes Nuclear Regulatory Commission assessment
The Natrium® Project Receives First NRC-Issued Environmental Impact Statement for a Commercial Advanced Nuclear Power Plant
https://www.terrapower.com/natrium-project-receives-first-nrc-issued-environmental-impact-statement-for-a-commercial-advanced-nuclear-power-plant
TerraPower's 345 MWe advanced nuclear reactor clears crucial hurdle
https://interestingengineering.com/energy/terrapower-nuclear-reactor-gets-us-approval
TerraPower, owned by Microsoft founder Gates, and PacifiCorp , a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, the holding company run by renowned investor Warren Buffett, announced plans in 2021 to build a new type of nuclear power plant in Wyoming. The plant will be a small-scale power plant equipped with a sodium-cooled fast reactor . It will run on a fuel called highly enriched low-enriched uranium (HALEU), which differs from conventional nuclear reactors. This is considered an important carbon-free technology in Wyoming, which is working to reduce carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change.
Next-generation nuclear power plant to be built with the cooperation of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett - GIGAZINE
Supply of HALEU fuel for sodium-cooled fast reactors is thought to be an issue . The United States does not have a commercial mass-production system in place, and since Russia, the world's only commercial supplier, invaded Ukraine in 2022, stable supplies have been halted due to U.S. sanctions against Russia and other factors. The U.S. Department of Energy predicts annual demand of several tens of tons in the 2030s and is pursuing contracts to expand domestic HALEU production facilities.
TerraPower submitted its initial construction permit application to the state of Wyoming in March 2024 for the planned sodium-cooled fast reactor, Kemmerer 1. A groundbreaking ceremony for the non-nuclear portion of the project took place in June 2024, but construction of the nuclear portion, including the reactor itself, requires approval from the NRC. At the groundbreaking ceremony, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon commented, 'This project is significant for the local community, the state of Wyoming, and the nation. The progress we make here will strengthen Wyoming's ability to produce new, safe energy sources. Wyoming is energy savvy, and by continuing to supply energy, we will contribute to maintaining America's competitiveness and security.'
Then, on October 22, 2025, TerraPower announced that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) had successfully completed an environmental impact assessment for Kemmerer 1, currently under development in Wyoming, and had obtained an environmental impact statement from the NRC stating that 'no significant adverse environmental impacts were identified.' TerraPower claims this is the first commercial 'advanced nuclear power plant' in the United States to complete the NRC's final environmental impact assessment.
'TerraPower is committed to realizing the next generation of nuclear power, and this announcement from the NRC reflects our team's dedication and rigor in meeting all federal licensing requirements,' said TerraPower CEO Chris Levesque. 'Wyoming's Kemmerer 1 sodium plant is the first advanced reactor technology to successfully complete an NRC environmental impact assessment, bringing us one step closer to realizing America's next generation of nuclear power.'
The next step before applying for a construction permit is a 'safety assessment,' which TerraPower says it expects to complete by December 31, 2025.
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in Science, Posted by log1e_dh