TerraPower, Evergy and the Kansas Department of Commerce have joined forces to explore deploying an advanced nuclear reactor and energy storage system at an Evergy location in Kansas.
The site selection will be based on an evaluation of factors including community support and the ability of the site to receive a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license, according to TerraPower’s Tuesday press release.
Evergy, formerly Westar Energy, is an investor-owned utility with its headquarters in Topeka, Kan. The utility serves over 1.7 million commercial, industrial and residential customers in between Kansas and Missouri.
The three entities look to use TerraPower’s Natrium reactor technology for the potential site in Kansas. This comes a month after TerraPower also announced plans to explore sites for nuclear development in Utah.
A Natrium reactor is a 345-megawatt sodium fast reactor, with a molten salt-based energy storage system. The storage technology can boost the system’s capacity to 500-megawatts of power when needed.
TerraPower’s application for a Natrium reactor in Kemmerer, Wyo. is currently under review by the NRC.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) supported the announcement of a potential nuclear reactor installed in the state.
“My administration has always supported an ‘all-of-the-above’ approach when meeting the energy needs of Kansas citizens and businesses,” Kelly said in the release. “We need to explore all available sources to power the future of our great state, and I’m pleased we’re using innovative methods to do just that.”
Kansas currently has one nuclear power plant, Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Burlington, Kan. Wolf Creek is operated by Evergy and generates 1,200 megawatts of electricity.
The plant produces nearly 21% of the state’s electricity.