The first station is planned to be built near a coal-fired power plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming. They already want to put it into operation in 2030. Levesque said that most of the initial work at the site will not be nuclear-related, adding that the company is advancing its project “quite aggressively.”

Detail

TerraPower, which raised 1 billion dollars from its supporters, Will use liquid sodium instead of water to cool sodium reactorsThis will make their operations cheaper. According to estimates, the cost of plants with sodium reactors will be half as much as those with light water reactors.

When you use liquid sodium as a coolant instead of water, it’s a game changer.
– said the director in an interview with FT.

Bill Gates helped found TerraPower in 2006 and has been its chairman ever since. The company says its goal is to offer the world a more affordable, safe and environmentally friendly form of nuclear energy.

The cost of the sodium reactor is expected 4 billion dollarsAbout half of the cost will be covered by the U.S. Department of Energy. CRV and Khosla Ventures are among the company’s venture capital investors.

Computer image of the TerraPower nuclear power plant / Photo: TerraPower

While Russian and Chinese state-owned companies have already succeeded in building smaller nuclear reactors, progress in developing similar technologies in the United States has stalled in recent years. High interest rates made it difficult for startups to obtain financing, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent exclusion from financial markets made it difficult for companies to access the uranium needed for their reactors.

Last October TerraPower was not shortlisted in the next round of UK government tenders for the construction of small nuclear power plants. Today, Rolls-Royce is a leading competitor with its Small Modular Reactor (SRM) projects and has already received over £200 million in government funding in the UK.