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Avatar photo by Dustin Bleizeffer 12 hours agoJanuary 14, 2025 [A-Bill-Gates-at-lecturn-Kemmerer-June-9-2024-DBleizeffer] Microsoft billionaire and TerraPower founder Bill Gates addresses a crowd of about 300 on June 10, 2024 to mark the beginning of construction for the Natrium nuclear power plant just outside Kemmerer, Wyoming. (Dustin Bleizeffer/WyoFile) Share this: The Wyoming Industrial Siting Council has granted a construction permit to TerraPower for its Natrium nuclear power plant near Kemmerer -- a milestone achievement both in Wyoming and nationwide for commercial-scale "advanced nuclear" energy, the company says. "This is the first state permit ever awarded to a commercial-scale advanced nuclear project and is a testament to the groundbreaking work of our TerraPower team," TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque said in a prepared statement Tuesday. The permit allows for construction of all non-nuclear portions of the Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1 plant. TerraPower has a permit application pending before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for all of the nuclear-related facilities. "That application was submitted in March 2024 and is on track for approval in December 2026," according to a TerraPower press statement. "The unique Natrium design enables the company to start non-nuclear construction onsite during the NRC review." THANK YOU! You joined more than 2,400 WyoFile members to make stories like this possible, and we are grateful! [A-Chris-Levesque-TerraPower-Kemmerer-June-10-2024-DBleizeffer] TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque speaks to reporters June 10, 2024 at the location of the future Natrium nuclear power plant outside Kemmerer, Wyoming. (Dustin Bleizeffer/WyoFile) The state's review included an analysis of environmental and socioeconomic impacts related to the facility, as well as potential avoidance measures such as noise limits and nighttime-light restrictions to minimize negative impacts on birds and skirting cultural resources when possible, according to the state and TerraPower's 1,459-page permit application. The Industrial Siting Council -- a gubernatorial-appointed panel connected to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality -- now has 45 days to draw up its approval order and issue the permit. "The regulatory process to bring new nuclear plants to fruition is robust, and our team has been working relentlessly to successfully maneuver through a complicated, multi-jurisdictional environment to bring the first Natrium plant to market," Levesque said. TerraPower began construction on a stand-alone but related facility -- a liquid sodium testing center -- in June, marking the occasion with a groundbreaking ceremony that included some 300 guests and company founder, Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates. The phased nature of construction for the larger project will cycle in workers with different construction and engineering skills, peaking at about 1,600 workers in 2028, according to TerraPower. The plant is slated to begin generating electricity in 2030. [24173913_10214251095742534_4583510361661837933_o] Stay informed, Wyoming style WyoFile is independent news for independent thinkers. Sign up for our newsletters to get the latest stories from throughout the state. [ ] Subscribe Natrium project TerraPower selected the Kemmerer location in the fall of 2021 after analyzing a handful of other potential locations in Wyoming to co-locate the facility next to a coal-fired power plant slated for retirement. The idea, according to the company, was to utilize existing infrastructure associated with coal plants, including tapping the local workforce. The company chose a site near the Naughton natural gas and coal-fired power plant just outside the towns of Kemmerer and Diamondville in Lincoln County. [Naughton-coal-plant-night-Jan-19-2022-DBleizeffer]PacifiCorp/Rocky Mountain Power's Naughton natural gas and coal-fired power plant, pictured Jan. 19, 2022 on the outskirts of Kemmerer, will see its remaining generation units converted to natural gas in 2026. TerraPower plans to commence operations for its "demonstration" Natrium nuclear reactor power plant next to Naughton in 2030. (Dustin Bleizeffer/WyoFile) One of three coal-burning units at the Naughton plant was converted to natural gas a few years ago. The remaining two coal units will be converted to natural gas in 2026, according to majority owner PacifiCorp. TerraPower has partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy, which is expected to contribute about $2 billion of the $4 billion effort, to develop the project, according to the company. PacifiCorp, which operates as Rocky Mountain Power in Wyoming, has tentatively agreed to consider taking over Natrium operations and plug the power plant into its six-state electrical service territory. RELATED Microsoft's Bill Gates breaks ground on novel nuclear power plant in Wyoming Microsoft's Bill Gates breaks ground on novel nuclear power plant in Wyoming Southwest Wyoming locals pepper feds on proposed Natrium nuclear plant Southwest Wyoming locals pepper feds on proposed Natrium nuclear plant Natrium is an "advanced" nuclear reactor design that will use liquid sodium for cooling. The plant will generate a consistent 345 megawatts of power -- enough energy to power about 250,000 homes -- with a capability of ramping up to 500 megawatts for short periods of time, according to TerraPower. The reactor will use high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel. The company originally proposed an in-service date of 2028, but had to push the start date back to 2030 due to global events. In 2022, following the invasion of Ukraine, TerraPower cut ties with the Russian state-owned Tenex -- the only facility in the world at the time with the capacity to supply commercial volumes of HALEU. TerraPower has worked to secure initial HALEU supplies with companies in U.S.-ally nations, while the Department of Energy is working to support a domestic production and supply chain for HALEU. If successful, the company plans to deploy dozens of Natrium plants across the globe, including several more in Wyoming, TerraPower officials say. BEFORE YOU GO... If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to WyoFile. Our work is funded by readers like you who are committed to supporting unbiased journalism that works for you, not for the algorithms. Donate [?] Avatar photo Dustin Bleizeffer Dustin Bleizeffer covers energy and climate at WyoFile. He has worked as a coal miner, an oilfield mechanic, and for 26 years as a statewide reporter and editor primarily covering the energy industry in... More by Dustin Bleizeffer Join the Conversation 7 Comments Want to join the discussion? Fantastic, here are the ground rules: * Provide your full name -- no pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish and expects commenters to do the same. * No personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats. Keep it clean, civil and on topic. *WyoFile does not fact check every comment but, when noticed, submissions containing clear misinformation, demonstrably false statements of fact or links to sites trafficking in such will not be posted. *Individual commenters are limited to three comments per story, including replies. Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Comment * [ ] Name * [ ] Email * [ ] Website [ ] [ ] Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. [Post Comment] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] D[ ] 1. [3850b19]Jeffrey Antman says: January 15, 2025 at 2:56 pm I find it curious how these nuclear plants are discussed like putting one up is no more difficult than buying a generator at Home Depot. Previous nuclear plants have been difficult, take longer than expected and very expensive.How much will a kwhr cost for one of these to make? Reply 2. [bfba1c3]Brett Glass says: January 15, 2025 at 2:53 pm Bill Gates is famous for creating poorly tested, unreliable software with serious bugs, crashes, and security holes. (I know; for decades I have written about, fought, and tried to fix the problems in Microsoft products. It's gotten a bit better since Gates stopped taking an active role in the company.) Why is he now being allowed to build a nuclear reactor, based on untried technology that can ignite in unextinguishable fires, on the west side of our state... where the prevailing winds can carry leaked radioactivity to the rest? It's sad that local and state officials have been so blinded by Gates' wealth that they are allowing him to endanger all of us. Reply 3. [bd4f99f]Robert Silver says: January 15, 2025 at 11:12 am First and foremost, near anyone but Bill Gates! He is most prolly the Devil, himself. Secondly, what's the plan for the waste? Reply 4. [39c1c28]Robert Smith says: January 15, 2025 at 9:02 am Perfect, no disposal plan for spent fuel. Guess they will store it on site. Of course no one want to talk about disposal, just like all the material in the dump from wind energy. Wyoming the dumping ground for the USA. Reply 5. [754dc5c]Jack ginter says: January 15, 2025 at 6:34 am The People of Kemmerer have allowed a demon into their community, in Bill Gates. Everything this man touches is a blight on humanity. Whatever this reactor powers it wont be for the good of the people. AI server farm/data center is most likely the end goal. It isnt too late for the People of Kemmerer and Wyoming to stop this. Reply 1. [83c21b7]Cynthia Bloomquist says: January 15, 2025 at 10:21 am Oh dear. Sorry you have been poisoned against Bill Gates. A great inventor and humanitarian. Reply 1. [754dc5c]Jack ginter says: January 15, 2025 at 2:30 pm I dont know which claim is more outrageous. Probably "inventor" as he wouldnt have had money for his eugenics programs if he hadnt stolen ideas and monopolized the tech industry in its infancy. Bill Gates, literally invented nothing, he stole, bought, or squashed competing innovations. 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