Kemmerer

Some young people can picture a life here. Others say they may not be able to find a job and want to get out of the Wyoming ‘bubble.’

The plant is expected to be running by 2031. The sodium-cooled fast reactor still faces hurdles like where it will get its uranium. For now, it will be from South Africa.

The first-of-its-kind nuclear power plant slated for the Kemmerer area has received a key federal construction permit. It was issued about nine months quicker than expected.

As TerraPower constructs a training facility for its forthcoming nuclear power plant, Kemmerer’s administrator says getting the city ready is a point of stress. Partly because of budget cuts and impending coal mine job losses.

A huge wildlife crossing project broke ground recently between Kemmerer and Evanston. The celebration had undertones of concern for federal funding for future efforts.

The forthcoming nuclear power plant project will get its construction permit seven months faster than expected. Supporters say it’s common sense regulatory streamlining. Others are sounding the alarm.

Wyoming Game and Fish is seeking information on the incident that happened between the afternoon of April 26 and April 27.

The Kemmerer coal mine is laying off 28 workers. City officials hope other, incoming energy projects can absorb them.

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.