The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has completed the environmental impact statement for TerraPower”s Natrium reactor in Kemmerer, Wyo., the company said this week.
TerraPower said in its Wednesday press release that it is the first advanced commercial nuclear power plant to achieve this milestone.
The company plans to convert an old coal-powered plant in Kemmerer, Wyo. into a nuclear plant, Kemmerer Unit 1. The plant will have the Natrium reactor, 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 submitted its construction permit application for the Kemmerer Natrium reactor in March 2024. NRC accepted the application in May 2024 and since then pivoted to a shortened review schedule.
The next step in the company’s construction permit application is the final safety evaluation, expected by Dec. 31, TerraPower said.
In June 2024, the company began the non-nuclear side of construction for the plant.
“TerraPower has been committed to bringing the next generation of nuclear power to fruition, and this announcement from the NRC is a testament to our team’s dedication and rigor in meeting all federal licensing requirements,” TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque said in the release.
“The Natrium plant in Wyoming, Kemmerer Unit 1, is now the first advanced reactor technology to successfully complete an environmental impact statement for the NRC, bringing us another step closer to delivering America’s next nuclear power plant.”
TerraPower’s Natrium plant is being developed through the Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. The company said the project is expected to be completed by 2030.