It appears the US is more interested in experimental nuclear energy technology. Kemmerer, Wyoming, was selected by Bill Gates' TerraPower as the site for its first Natrium fast reactor. Three hours away from Idaho National Laboratory, the company's technology will be used to create a first-of-its-kind molten chloride reactor.
The reactor will be built in partnership with Southern Company and use TerraPower's molten chloride fast reactor technology. TerraPower says that this type of reactor is different from others due to its ability to create carbon-free power and generate heat that could make it attractive to heavy industries that need high temperatures and lots of power. Nuclear energy research is conducted in the lab.
The reactor will be the world's first fast-spectrum, salt- fueled nuclear reactor to operate on a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. The company said that it was a significant inflection point for the technology as a whole. Lauren Lathem, program manager for the Southern Company, said the reactor will feature less than 500 kilowatts of capacity, making it decidedly experimental.
The reactor is expected to enter service in the year 2026, but it was started in 2015 when the two companies received a grant from the Department of Energy. While most nuclear reactor focus is on generating electricity for the public, this reactor could place a greater emphasis on providing green solutions for industry.
The Environmental Protection Agency says that industry accounts for 25% of US greenhouse gas emissions. While there are no-carbon steel projects afoot, throwing one more iron into the fire doesn't hurt.
Bill Gates co-founded TerraPower with the goal of commercializing experimental new nuclear reactor. TerraPower had previously planned to build a reactor in Beijing, but that project fell victim to increased regulatory restrictions during the Trump presidency. The project will operate out of Wyoming, the company announced last week.
Nuclear energy is being taken seriously by the Biden administration, which has outlined plans to invest in advanced reactors that it hopes will be smaller and safer than those currently in operation. The Department of Energy would get around $3.2 billion for the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program and $6 billion to preserve existing nuclear reactor that are nearing their retirement age if the bill is passed.
