This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
The first-of-its-kind nuclear power plant slated for the Kemmerer area has received a key federal construction permit.
The TerraPower project, which is backed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, can now begin standing up its nuclear reactor. Up until now, only non-nuclear construction has been underway.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced it granted the federal construction permit in a press release on March 4. The news was somewhat expected, as the NRC published its final safety evaluation late last year. Staff found “no safety aspects that would preclude issuing the construction permit” for the novel nuclear reactor, which is promised to be smaller and more efficient than traditional ones.
At the time, the Union of Concerned Scientists had doubts. They said there are safety issues with the liquid sodium coolant design and are worried about the permit process timeline.
The NRC finished its review of the permit application in 18 months, much faster than its original timeline of 27 months. According to NYTimes reporting, that’s thanks to a 2024 law Congress passed to try to speed up the NRC, which has been criticized for being sluggish.
The permit marks the first to be handed out to a nuclear reactor project in about a decade, according to the NRC.
TerraPower said in a press release that construction will begin in the coming weeks.
If completed as planned, the plant will be online in 2031. It’s based a couple miles from the Naughton power plant, which formerly burned coal but is fully switching to natural gas.
There are still other requirements the company has to meet, like applying for and receiving an NRC federal operating license.
