Kemmerer City Administrator says there will be economic opportunities southwest Wyoming will need to consider with nuclear facility project
Kemmerer City Administrator Brian Muir says there will be plenty of economic opportunities southwest Wyoming has to consider with the upcoming Natrium nuclear facility project which will be built near the city.
He says Bechtel is leading the construction project and already has 40 to 50 workers here doing some drilling.
“They’re staying at local hotels,” Muir said. “Helping us with our lodging tax.”
He says the drilling is for site inspection for things like the subsurface water along with any seismic issues. He says, so far, things are going well there.
He also says he was recently in a call about the need for vendors with all kinds of different skills in construction. Things like pipe fitters, electricians, welders, etc. He says there will need to be accommodations for restaurants and housing as well.
“There’s going to be a lot of opportunities for southwest Wyoming here,” Muir said.
Next year Bechtel will be building a test site according to the city administrator. This project will employ about 150 people. He says in mid-2024 is when they will really start building the final product. This means there will be a ramp up with construction employees and subcontractors under Bechtel.
“As I understand it, we’re talking 2,000 workers and it will ramp up to that in 2025,” Muir said. “Going through for about 2.5 to 2.75 years. There’s going to be a lot of needs for a lot of things.”
He mentioned things like restaurants will need to stay open later. He hopes there is an opportunity for franchises like Chick Fil A and Subway to set up in the area.
“It’s going to help our existing restaurants as well,” Muir said.
He also says he is working closely with other towns and cities as well as he believes there is a need to work together on all of this.
He says housing will be another big need for those employees and so there will be a high demand for local workers as well. There will need to be permanent housing for the permanent workers of the nuclear facility according to the city administrator. He also says there will be a need for rentals from the surrounding areas as well.
