Wyoming begins construction of Bill Gates' next-generation nuclear facility

Terapower, supported by Bill Gates, began construction of America's first next-generation nuclear power plant and the world's most advanced nuclear power facility on Monday in Kemmerer, Wyoming.

“This is a huge step towards safe and abundant zero-carbon energy. “The success of such projects is critical to the future of this country.”

Gates told an audience gathered in Wyoming on Monday that he “stands on what will soon be the bedrock of America's energy future.”

TerraPower, co-founded by Gates, aims to “revolutionize” power generation and began construction in Wyoming on Monday to prepare a site for nuclear reactor construction. In March, Terapower applied for permission to build an advanced nuclear reactor that uses sodium instead of water for cooling.

Technology for non-water-cooled nuclear reactors has existed for a long time, but the Associated Press quoted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and reported that Mr. Gates' efforts in Wyoming meant that private companies were trying to commercially launch an advanced nuclear reactor for the first time in 40 years.

The new facility is adjacent to the coal-burning Norton power plant. The Norton power plant is scheduled to stop using coal in 2026 and shift to natural gas only, and it is planned to stop that around 2036. Norton plans to get clean energy from the TeraPower reactor.

America's first next-generation nuclear facility is in competition with Russia, which is also developing a nuclear reactor that uses sodium for cooling.

Russian state-owned company Rosatom has just obtained approval for the construction site of a new BN-1200M nuclear power plant to be built in the Sverdlovsk region. The BN1200 is a sodium-cooled fast reactor and will eventually be used as Unit 5 of the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant project in the same region. According to Nuclear Engineering International, Rosatom plans to obtain a construction permit for the BN1200 in 2027.