TerraPower becomes first next-generation nuclear company to get US green light to build reactors – GeekWire
Bill Gates-backed TerraPower is the first in the nation to receive federal approval to build its next-generation nuclear power plant. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued its unanimous decision on Wednesday.
TerraPower CEO Chris Levesque had been waiting for the NRC’s green light, telling GeekWire in January that the approvals would put the company “a year ahead of anyone else” pursuing nuclear weapons in the US.
“Our team has worked tirelessly for over 4 years with NRC staff to get to this point,” Levesque said in a statement announcing the decision. “We had extensive pre-application engagement with the NRC; and applied for a strong and comprehensive building permit nearly 2 years ago. We have spent thousands of hours working to achieve this major accomplishment.”
After decades of mismanagement, the U.S. nuclear industry has come into full swing as tech giants seek to power data centers across the country and power demands increase for commercial, residential and industrial uses.
The approval of TerraPower opens up additional nuclear facilities in short periods of time.
In January, the company signed a deal with Meta to build up to eight advanced reactors in the US with the first two coming online as soon as 2032. If the full order is fulfilled, all reactors aim to be operational by 2035.
The company also has a memorandum of understanding with state departments in Utah and Kansas to explore the potential location of sodium reactors in those states.
“We plan to build hundreds of sodium reactors,” Levesque told GeekWire. “We’re very focused on delivering the first one on time,” he added, and we quickly began scaling.
Bellevue, Wash.-based TerraPower is developing a new model of small, low-cost nuclear reactors that can be produced in three years from prefabricated parts — instead of the old way of building large structures, which take a decade to set up.
It broke ground on a demonstration site in Kemmerer, Wyo., in 2024, beginning with construction of the non-nuclear components of the facility. The goal is to start splitting atoms there by the end of 2030.
National leaders have pushed for changes in federal oversight to speed up the deployment of new reactors. That includes the passage of the Atomic Energy Advancement Act during the Biden administration and executive orders issued by President Trump.
Approval for the application to build the nuclear reactor was granted in 18 months – much faster than the original review estimate of 27 months. TerraPower commends the state’s support of the industry and the company’s response to NRC’s questions and the efforts of NRC staff for prompt turnaround.
