Jun 12 | 2024
TerraPower’s Natrium Is World’s Only Coal-to-Nuclear Project Under Development
By Simon West
Bechtel and nuclear innovation company TerraPower have begun construction work on America’s next nuclear power plant – the Natrium advanced reactor demonstration project in Kemmerer in the U.S. state of Wyoming.
Natrium, which Bechtel described as a “leap forward” in sustainable power generation, is a 345-megawatt advanced nuclear reactor that uses a sodium-based technology developed by TerraPower as a coolant instead of water. The storage technology can boost the system’s output to 500 megawatts when needed, equivalent to the energy required to power some 400,000 homes.
“This groundbreaking represents the beginning of the next era of nuclear energy,” said Chris Levesque, president and CEO of TerraPower.“The Natrium reactor is more than a design, it’s a plant coming to life that will support both the clean energy transition and our historic energy communities. Our innovative Natrium technology will provide dispatchable carbon-free energy, gigawatt-scale energy storage, and long-term jobs to the Lincoln County community.”
TerraPower, co-founded by Bill Gates in 2008, said 1,600 workers would be needed for construction at the project’s peak. Building work is expected to take five years. It is being installed near a retiring coal-fired power plant and is the world’s only coal-to-nuclear project under development.
Bechtel was awarded the EPC contract in late 2020. The U.S.-based engineering and construction firm, which has designed, built or provided construction services on more than 150 nuclear plants worldwide, has a history at the Natrium site in Kemmerer.
“Back in the early 1960s, we built the Naughton power station that is now being retired,” said Craig Albert, president and COO of Bechtel.“Originally constructed as a ‘mine mouth powerhouse’ for a coal strip-mining operation, it too was a cutting-edge solution for what was considered an essential energy resource at the time. We take pride now in having the opportunity to help the Kemmerer community transition away from that past to a cleaner energy future.”
Bechtel is a member of the Breakbulk Global Shipper Network, an extensive worldwide networking platform for executives operating at the top end of the project supply chain. The next in-person meet-up for BGSN members will be at Breakbulk Americas 2024 on 15-17 October at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.
TOP PHOTO: A digital rendering of the Natrium project. CREDIT: Bechtel
