TerraPower, the nuclear venture backed by Bill Gates, has gained the green light from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to construct its sodium-cooled Natrium reactor. This marks the first reactor construction permit issued in a decade, allowing the company to proceed with its facility in Kemmerer, Wyoming, where ground was broken in 2024.
The Natrium design utilizes liquid sodium as a cooling agent and features molten-salt energy storage, which is intended to enhance safety by operating at low pressure and leveraging natural convection for cooling during potential failures. TerraPower’s CEO, Chris Levesque, expressed optimism about the NRC’s approval, stating, “This is the first commercial-scale, advanced nuclear plant to receive this permit. We plan to start construction on the Natrium plant in the coming weeks.”
Fuel Supply Concerns Persist
Despite this progress, TerraPower faces significant challenges in securing a consistent supply of fuel. The Natrium reactor requires high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU), which differs from the standard low-enriched uranium used in traditional reactors. The United States has historically struggled with a stable HALEU supply, and while improvements are underway, most existing HALEU-enriching companies have yet to scale their production beyond pilot levels.
TerraPower indicated that it has established several agreements for HALEU since commencing construction. A spokesperson stated, “We feel confident that our agreement with ASP Isotopes, plus the domestic enrichment capabilities that the United States Government is developing and TerraPower is prioritized for, will be able to fuel our Natrium reactor.” However, commercial levels of HALEU fuel may not be available until the end of the decade.
Timeline and Future Prospects
While TerraPower is positioned as the first Natrium reactor nearing readiness, the company does not anticipate operational readiness before 2030, with commercial scaling targeted for 2031. The construction permit allows TerraPower to begin building the reactor, but a separate operational permit is still required, which has not yet been granted.
As it stands, the only next-generation nuclear reactor designs approved by the NRC in the U.S. are small modular reactors from NuScale, none of which have been constructed. A previous attempt to deploy a NuScale reactor failed due to insufficient customer commitments.
This article was produced by NeonPulse.today using human and AI-assisted editorial processes, based on publicly available information. Content may be edited for clarity and style.
