The following is a release from TerraPower regarding the most recent safety evaluations at the plant near Kemmerer –
TerraPower President and CEO, Chris Levesque, issues a statement on the announcement of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s completion of the Final Safety Evaluation for the first Natrium® plant1, Kemmerer Unit 1, construction permit application:
“Today is a momentous occasion for TerraPower, our project partners and the Natrium design. This favorable safety evaluation from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reflects years of rigorous evaluation, thoughtful collaboration with the NRC, and an unwavering commitment to both safety and innovation.”
“I am deeply proud of our team’s efforts in pioneering the design and licensing of America’s first, commercial-scale, advanced nuclear power plant. TerraPower remains focused on delivering the next generation of reliable, flexible power to the grid and long-term jobs for the Kemmerer community.”
Read the full NRC press release here.
Senator Cynthia Lummis responded to the development with the following statement :
“This is good news for Wyoming and for America’s energy future,” said Lummis. “The NRC staff’s completion of this critical safety evaluation, a full month ahead of their already-accelerated schedule, demonstrates the strength of TerraPower’s application and the remarkable efficiency achieved through the Trump administration’s commitment to revitalizing nuclear energy and reforming NRC permitting processes. Wyoming is America’s energy leader, and the Kemmerer Power Station will cement our state’s role at the forefront of next-generation nuclear power, providing reliable baseload power and good paying jobs for Wyoming workers—all made possible because the Trump administration recognizes nuclear energy as essential to our nation’s energy independence.”
About the Natrium Reactor
The Natrium technology features a 345 MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system. The storage technology can boost the system’s output to 500 MWe of power when needed as it is designed to keep base output steady, ensuring constant reliability and can quickly ramp up when demand peaks — it is the only advanced reactor design with this unique feature.
The first Natrium project is being developed through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), a public-private partnership. TerraPower began construction on the non-nuclear portions of the site in June 2024. When completed, the Natrium plant will be the first utility-scale advanced nuclear power plant in the United States.
