TerraPower’s innovative Natrium design incorporates a small modular reactor (SMR) with an integrated thermal battery, capable of generating 345 megawatts of continuous electrical power. The system can surge its output to 500 megawatts for over five hours by storing excess heat in molten salt, providing enough energy to power 400,000 homes at maximum capacity.
CEO Chris Levesque expressed his excitement in a statement released on Monday, emphasizing the years of rigorous evaluation and collaboration with the NRC that led to this milestone. TerraPower’s technology builds upon the success of an experimental breeder reactor in Idaho, which operated for nearly three decades before its closure.
The company’s ambitious goal is to begin power production at the Kemmerer, Wyoming site by 2030, strategically located near a retiring coal plant. With tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon investing in nuclear energy for AI operations, TerraPower’s advancements are well-timed to meet the growing demand for sustainable power sources.
The NRC’s positive assessment of TerraPower’s project paves the way for future construction permits, with the company already making progress on non-nuclear components of the facility in Wyoming. Securing over $650 million in new funding from Gates and NVIDIA last year, TerraPower has also received substantial investments from SK Inc. and SK Innovation, in addition to $2 billion from the U.S. Department of Energy.
While there are still permitting hurdles to overcome, including a final safety evaluation and environmental impact statement, TerraPower remains optimistic about the future of its groundbreaking reactor technology. As the company navigates the regulatory process, the potential for a new era in nuclear energy production in America is on the horizon.
