A Bill Gates–backed nuclear power plant just got cleared to start building
TerraPower, a start-up founded by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, is set to build a new kind of nuclear power plant in Wyoming
Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
TerraPower, a Bill Gates–backed nuclear power start-up, received the federal green light to start building a power plant in Wyoming. The approval paves the way for the first new commercial nuclear reactor in the U.S. in nearly a decade.
On Wednesday the Nuclear Regulatory Commission unanimously voted in favor of TerraPower’s construction permit.
The start-up hopes to build smaller, more advanced nuclear reactors that the company says will help support the transition to clean energy from fossil fuels. Known as the Natrium plant, the reactor is not expected to come online until at least 2031.
On supporting science journalism
If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
Chris Levesque, TerraPower’s chief executive officer, said in a statement that the approval marked a “historic day for the United States nuclear industry.”
TerraPower claims that its reactor design will be easier and cheaper to build and bring online than older nuclear power plants—the last two reactors built in the U.S. in recent memory cost $35 billion and ran way overbudget and past schedule. TerraPower will still need to clear multiple other regulatory hurdles before it can come online.
A key difference between TerraPower’s reactor design and older plants is that older reactors pump water through protective shields and heavy, thick pipes into the reactor core, where it is heated through nuclear fission. The resulting steam then creates electricity. TerraPower’s design uses liquid sodium, which doesn’t reach such high pressures as water, reducing the cost of shielding. And the start-up’s plant will be outfitted with a battery storage system that will enable it to ramp up or down electricity production as needed—something older reactors can’t easily do.
The Trump administration has touted nuclear power as a potential solution for the U.S.’s rapidly rising energy demands, which are set to become more acute as planned data centers to power artificial intelligence come online.
It’s Time to Stand Up for Science
If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.