• Construction includes training center
Construction is underway at the TerraPower Natrium site near Kemmerer.
The company reports, “This year, TerraPower began construction efforts on the Natrium site. With a groundbreaking celebration hosted on June 10, construction activities for the sodium test and fill facility (TFF) began the next day.”
Earthwork Solutions of Wyoming is preparing the site. “Over the last six months, crews have been working on site preparation with Wyoming-based Earthwork Solutions, ensuring safe site access off the highway with the Wyoming Department of Transportation, and drilling shafts and pouring concrete foundations that are necessary to support the TFF structure,” according to the Terra Power report.
A testing site is also under construction. “The TFF is a non-nuclear, standalone, independently operating structure that will be constructed adjacent to the Natrium plant. The purpose of the facility is to provide a testing site for essential components for use in the Natrium Demonstration Plant (NDP) as well as future Natrium plants, including its prototypic-scale primary sodium pumps, control rod drive mechanisms, and in-vessel transfer machine. Additionally, the facility will support the initial liquid sodium fill of the NDP reactor and its auxiliary systems. Boasting a 20-year design life, the facility is comprised of a series of test loops in drilled shafts and the supporting infrastructure for sodium receipt, sodium purification, and sodium cleaning/removal to support the testing programs.”
A training center is also a part of the construction, according to the Terra Power report.
“Along with the TFF building, 2025 will see work progress to include other non-nuclear structures on the Natrium site, including the Kemmerer Training Center which will house training operations for future Natrium technicians. TerraPower also plans to begin construction on the Energy Island portion of the Natrium plant, where the molten-salt energy storage tanks and turbines are housed, towards the end of next year.”
