Kemmerer

Almost three years ago, an unlikely relationship formed between the declining coal town of Kemmerer and one of the richest people in the world: Bill Gates. That’s because his nuclear company, TerraPower, announced it’d chosen Kemmerer for a “first of its kind” power plant. It promised to pump life back into the economy. But unless you’re deeply embedded in the energy world, it mostly just felt like a lot of talk to residents – until this month, when the project broke ground.

About 2,000 people live in Kemmerer, which is in the corner of southwest Wyoming, where the mountains meet the desert. It is known for a few things – the original JCPenney store, ancient fossils and consequently, the fossil fuel industry. But, in late 2021, the company TerraPower, founded by Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, announced their plans to build a nuclear plant nearby. While there is some push back with the project, the hope is to create ‘greener’ energy and jobs for former coal workers.

A small coal town community in southwest Wyoming was privy to a preview of plans for a proposed, first of its kind nuclear plant. The TerraPower nuclear plant is scheduled to open near Kemmerer by 2030. The event brought several officials to town – including a ‘celebrity’ appearance. Following this closely is the Casper Star Tribune’s energy reporter Nicole Pollack. She spoke with Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan.

The small town of Kemmerer recently got a preview of the proposed nuclear power plant project during an event that featured a celebrity appearance.Microsoft founder and billionaire Bill Gates came to Kemmerer last week for the first time. He co-founded TerraPower – the company behind the nuclear project.

The opening date is being delayed for the nuclear plant that is slated to replace the Naughton coal plant near Kemmerer.The start date will likely be pushed back two years to 2030, according to a press release from the nuclear plant developer TerraPower. The main reason is Russia’s war in Ukraine, as Russia is the only commercial supplier of the highly enriched uranium (HALEU) the plant needs to run.

TerraPower is a nuclear company started by Bill Gates, and it is building its first nuclear reactor, with a technology called Natrium, in Kemmerer. It will be the first of its kind not only in Wyoming but in the U.S. TerraPower’s C-E-O Chris Levesque recently sat down with Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan to explain the project and what is to come.

The nuclear project in Kemmerer has secured more funding, all but guaranteeing its development.The TerraPower project, which is Bill Gates’ nuclear power company, raised $750 million in private investments. The money will support the development of the nuclear power plant in Kemmerer, making it the first of its kind in the state.

Senate President Dan Dockstader of Afton has had an interesting couple of years. Managing through COVID-19 and numerous budget challenges were interesting enough, but he's also been working to either stop the shut down of coal-fired power plants in the state or at least slow the process down.

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