KEMMERER, Wyo. — TerraPower, a nuclear power company started by Bill Gates, has announced the purchase of land in Kemmerer to be used for its Natrium Reactor Demonstration Project.
“This milestone purchase marks another step towards providing clean, reliable power to the grid and good-paying jobs in Wyoming,” TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque said in a press release. “We have a great relationship with the community in Kemmerer, and we will continue working closely with local stakeholders and statewide officials as this project moves forward.”
This will be the first commercial nuclear reactor in Wyoming. The Cowboy State was selected as the site for the Natrium project in 2021, and Kemmerer was chosen shortly thereafter.
“This is a pioneering move that will be a big part of how we keep electricity reliable and keep the United States at the forefront of providing energy technology to the entire world,” Gates told the Casper Star Tribune in May.
According to TerraPower, the Natrium plant will provide an estimated 1,600 construction jobs, plus 250 full-time positions for day-to-day operations once it’s up and running. The sodium-cooled fast reactor and storage system is intended to generate 500MW of power, enough energy to power 400,000 homes. TerraPower has said it anticipates a 2030 completion date.
