TerraPower Breaks Ground on $2 Billion Natrium Reactor in Wyoming as Coal Town Bets on 300 Jobs
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 9
TerraPower Breaks Ground on $2 Billion Natrium Reactor in Wyoming as Coal Town Bets on 300 Jobs
3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 9
Summary
TerraPower has broken ground on the nuclear portion of its first-of-a-kind Natrium plant near Kemmerer, Wyoming, with the reactor targeted to begin generating electricity within four years.
The project is backed by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, with taxpayers providing $2 billion in assistance for a smaller reactor TerraPower says can be built faster than conventional plants.
Kemmerer, where coal jobs are fading, is already seeing an influx of workers; TerraPower says about 1,600 temporary construction jobs could later narrow to as many as 300 permanent plant roles.
The plant sits at the center of the Trump administration's push to build dozens of advanced reactors to supply carbon-free power for data centers and manufacturers, after four other small test reactors recently posted results in Idaho.
Local support is split as some residents welcome an economic lifeline while critics question public subsidies, on-site nuclear waste and whether a rushed nuclear expansion is safer or cheaper than wind, solar and batteries.