TerraPower Leaders, Including Chairman Bill Gates, Visit Wyoming to Showcase Future Natrium® Site
May 5, 2023
Bill Gates, TerraPower Founder and Chairman, visited Kemmerer, Wyoming today to meet with elected officials and participate in community events to showcase plans for the next generation Natrium Power Plant1 being developed
KEMMERER, Wyoming – May 5, 2023 – Today, TerraPower Founder and Chairman Bill Gates visited Kemmerer, Wyoming, home to the future Natrium reactor and integrated storage system that will be sited near a PacifiCorp retiring coal facility. Mr. Gates was joined by TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque, Natrium Project Director and SVP Tara Neider, PacifiCorp’s Rocky Mountain Power President and CEO Gary Hoogeveen, and Governor Mark Gordon for tours of the Naughton coal plant and the Natrium demonstration site. Mr. Gates also met with Wyoming elected officials and joined community members for a Natrium plant preview event.
“I am proud to be investing in a next generation nuclear power plant in Kemmerer and supporting the state of Wyoming as an energy leader in the US,” said Bill Gates. “TerraPower’s Natrium reactor is an example of how energy innovation can create jobs and strengthen the American economy. That’s why I am so excited to be here talking about the project with the community leaders that are making it happen.”
“It was a pleasure to introduce Bill to our Wyoming stakeholders today. TerraPower has received a warm welcome in the Lincoln County community and in our engagements across the state. We are proud to add our project to Wyoming’s rich history of energy production and it was an honor for our Chairman to be able to meet local community members and experience firsthand the excitement that our team encounters every day,” said Chris Levesque, TerraPower President and CEO.
The Natrium demonstration project is a public-private partnership and part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). The demonstration plant will validate the design, construction, and operational features of the Natrium technology. The project features a 345MW sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system.
The storage technology can boost the system’s output to 500MW of power when needed, which is equivalent to the energy required to power around 400,000 homes. The energy storage capability allows the plant to integrate seamlessly with renewable resources. It is projected to need a peak workforce of 1,600 construction jobs and 250 full-time employees to support day-to-day operations when the plant comes online.
“PacifiCorp and TerraPower have a combined commitment to providing low-cost, carbon-free energy solutions, while maintaining grid reliability and integrating dispatchable power that can support intermittent energy resources,” said Gary Hoogeveen, Rocky Mountain Power president and CEO. “Kemmerer is home to a highly skilled workforce that knows what it takes to support major energy projects and we are grateful for the community’s support and enthusiasm.”
In the fall of 2022, TerraPower and PacifiCorp announced the intention to develop up to five additional Natrium reactors by 2035. PacifiCorp’s 2023 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) included plans for two Natrium reactor and energy storage systems to be online by 2033. This would total 1,500 megawatts of advanced nuclear energy from three total Natrium reactors, including the plant in Kemmerer. TerraPower and PacifiCorp will also continue to explore the possibility of deploying additional Natrium units by 2035.
About TerraPower
TerraPower is a leading nuclear innovation company that strives to improve the world through nuclear energy and science. Since it was founded by Bill Gates and a group of like-minded visionaries, TerraPower has emerged as an incubator and developer of ideas and technologies that offer energy independence, environmental sustainability, medical advancement and other cutting-edge opportunities. It accepts and tackles some of the world’s most difficult challenges. Behind each of its innovations and programs, TerraPower actively works to bring together the strengths and experiences of the world’s public and private sectors to answer pressing global needs.
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[1] TerraPower and GE-Hitachi technology