Nuclear power is a Go!
Recent developments in the United States suggest that nuclear power is entering a new phase of innovation and policy support.
Construction of a next-generation reactor located near Kemmerer, Wyoming is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
In Illinois, Governor J.B. Pritzker recently issued an executive order directing state agencies to explore building additional nuclear capacity, with a goal of adding at least 2 gigawatts of new generation.
These along with many other developments including the huge need to power AI centers highlight a broad shift in U.S. energy strategy. Nuclear power is primed for a resurgence as part of the nation’s long-term clean energy mix.
You can read February's articles below.
US approves construction of Bill Gates-backed
nuclear reactor in Wyoming
By Timothy Gardner
- First US approval for reactor to run on more enriched fuel
- TerraPower expects construction in weeks, operations in 2030
- Company to apply for operating license late 2027/early 2028
WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. nuclear regulator said on Wednesday it approved construction for the Bill Gates-backed TerraPower small nuclear reactor in Wyoming, the first approval for a plant expected to run on a special, more-enriched uranium fuel.
The approval, the first for a commercial reactor by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in nearly a decade, was for TerraPower's planned 345-megawatt sodium-cooled reactor to be built in Kemmerer, in the western part of the state. It is expected to be operational in the early 2030s.
Pritzker seeks to bring more nuclear power to Illinois
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) signed an executive order this week that will focus on new nuclear generation with a goal of adding at least 2 gigawatts or 2,000 megawatts.
According to the Wednesday order, Pritzker called for the Illinois Power Agency and Illinois Commerce Commission to consult with other agencies and issue a notice of inquiry (NOI) to nuclear companies to build new in-state nuclear generation.
Click here to read the article at ExchangeMonitor
Inside TerraPower’s world-first nuclear project being built just outside Kemmerer
Work is progressing fast just outside Kemmerer at TerraPower’s first-of-its-kind nuclear power project. Cowboy State Daily went on a tour to get an inside look at the 167-foot-tall facility that will stress-test massive Natrium reactor components.
The first thing a visitor to TerraPower’s site in Wyoming will notice is just how tiny the company’s rapidly rising Test and Fill Facility is rising up against the surrounding snow-dusted hillsides.
From a distance, the steel beams look terribly tiny, like breakable matchsticks that a strong Wyoming wind could come along and blow away.
Click here to read the article at Cowboy State Daily
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