US EditionBill Gates-Backed TerraPower Wins US Approval For Advanced Nuclear Reactor
The 345-megawatt Natrium reactor is the first commercial advanced nuclear plant approved in a decade, expected to provide power for up to 400,000 homes, NRC said.
- On March 4, 2026, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission awarded TerraPower LLC a construction permit for Kemmerer Unit 1, marking the first advanced commercial reactor permit in eight years.
- Under the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, the NRC trimmed seven months from environmental review last year, citing policy actions and the complete application from TerraPower.
- The Natrium reactor design pairs a 345-megawatt sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system that can boost output to 500 megawatts, powering up to 400,000 homes.
- Having begun non-nuclear site work in 2024, TerraPower now plans to start full construction in the coming weeks and targets commercial service in 2031, backed by $4 billion from the DOE, with an operating license application planned for 2027 or early 2028.
- Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder and TerraPower investor, sits amid a growing advanced nuclear sector where TerraPower’s Natrium leads DOE’s ARDP, while other developers like Kairos Power LLC and Natura Resources LLC advance smaller systems.
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102 Articles
Bill Gates’ TerraPower Gets Nuclear Regulators’ Green Light
Current conditions: May-like warmth is sending temperatures across the Midwest and Northeast up to 25 degrees Fahrenheit above historical averages • Dangerous rip currents are yanking at Florida’s Atlantic coast • South Africa’s Northern Cape is bracing for what’s locally known as an orange-level 5 storm bringing intense flooding. THE TOP FIVE1. NRC gives Bill Gates’ nuclear startup the green light on constructionThe Nuclear Regulatory Commissio…
Bill Gates’ nuclear company is the first to get approval to build next-gen reactor
Non-plant related construction broke ground at the Wyoming facility in June 2024. | Image: TerraPower Bill Gates-founded nuclear energy startup TerraPower has been granted approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build a next-generation reactor in Wyoming. This is the first commercial-scale, advanced nuclear power plant to ever receive the federal permit, according to the press release, and will be the first commercial reactor construc…
Bill Gates-Backed TerraPower Wins Historic US Approval For Natrium Reactor As Trump Pushes Nuclear Power Expansion - Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG)
On Wednesday, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved construction of a small nuclear reactor backed by Bill Gates' clean-energy company TerraPower. US Nuclear Regulator Clears TerraPower's Advanced Reactor The approval marks the first time in nearly a decade that U.S. regulators have cleared construction of a new commercial nuclear reactor. The project will involve a 345-megawatt sodium-cooled reactor, known as the Natrium design, plann…
TerraPower, a next-generation small modular reactor (SMR) company in the United States, received approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on the 4th (local time) to build a commercial advanced nuclear power plant. This marks the first time in 10 years that the NRC has approved the construction of a new commercial nuclear power plant, and its first approval for SMR construction. TerraPower will begin construction of a commercial SMR …
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