An artist rendering of the advanced nuclear power reactor demonstration project that Bill Gates' nuclear innovation company, TerraPower, plans to build in the frontier-era coal town, Kemmerer, Wyoming.
Rendering courtesy TerraPower
TerraPower's advanced reactor demonstration will face delays of at least two years because its only source of fuel was Russia, and the Ukraine war has closed the door on that trade relationship. The Bill Gates-backed company is planning to build its first reactor in the frontier-era coal town of Kemmerer, Wyoming and had hoped to finish it by 2028.
"In February 2022, Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused the only commercial source of HALEU fuel to no longer be a viable part of the supply chain for TerraPower, as well as for others in our industry," Chris Levesque, the CEO of TerraPower, said in a written statement sent to the company's newsletter recipients on Wednesday.
"Given the lack of fuel availability now, and that there has been no construction started on new fuel enrichment facilities, TerraPower is anticipating a minimum of a two-year delay to being able to bring the Natrium reactor into operation," Levesque said.
Terrapower's advanced nuclear plant design, known as Natrium, will be smaller than conventional nuclear reactors, and is slated to cost $4 billion, with half of that money coming from the U.S. Department of Energy. It will offer baseload power of 345 megawatts, with the potential to expand its capacity to 500 megawatts — about half of what is needed to power a mid-size city, according to a rule of thumbGates provided in his book, "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster.
But the plant depends on high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU. Theexisting fleet of nuclear reactors in the United States runs uranium-235 fuel enriched up to 5%, the Department of Energy says,while HALEU is enriched between 5% and 20%.
The United States does not have the enrichment capacity to supply commercial amounts of HALEU fuel and so TerraPower had "assumed the use of HALEU from Russia for our first core load," Levesque wrote.
Since the war broke out in February and it became clear that Russia could no longer be a reliable trade partner, TerraPower, the Department of Energy and other stakeholders have been looking for alternate sources of HALEU fuel. They are also pushing lawmakers to approve $2.1 billion to support HALEU production, according to Levesque.
Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, a Republican, thinks it's a wake-up call for the U.S.
"America must reestablish itself as the global leader in nuclear energy," Barrasso said in a written statement. "Instead of relying on our adversaries like Russia for uranium, the United States must produce its own supply of advanced nuclear fuel."
Barrasso sent a letter to Senate Energy Committee Chairman Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., requesting a hearing about the availability of HALEU. Barrasso also sent a letter to the Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to urge the United States to move faster in securing a source of HALEU.
The Department of Energy has "sufficient stockpiles of excess and previously used uranium to meet TerraPower's needs," but it has "yet to process sufficient amounts of this excess uranium into HALEU," Barrasso said in the letter to Granholm. "At this point, no single pathway will likely be sufficient to meet TerraPower's schedule."
The Office of Nuclear Energy at the Department of Energy is "hard at work to establish a domestic supply of HALEU," a spokesperson told CNBC. On Dec. 7, the the Office of Nuclear Energy announced the establishment of the High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium consortium of relevant stakeholders, which will be a forum for collaboration and support in developing a source of HALEU domestically.
Currently, 800 engineers are working to complete the plant's design, and TerraPower expects the project will employ as many as 2,000 workers to build the plant in the mid-2020s.
Construction on a non-nuclear building adjacent to the nuclear power plant, the large sodium test facility, will begin in the Spring of 2023 as planned, Levesque said. The sodium test facility is where component pieces of the molten sodium that will be used in the Natrium reactor will be tested.
TerraPower has raised over $830 million in private funding in 2022 and the Congress has appropriated $1.6 billion for the construction of the plant, Levesque said.
FAQs
Bill Gates-backed nuclear demonstration project in Wyoming delayed because Russia was the only fuel source. Bill Gates nuclear innovation company TerraPower says the operation of its demonstration advanced power reactor will be pushed back at least two years because the only source of fuel for the reactor was Russia.
Is Bill Gates building a nuclear power plant in Wyoming? ›
Gates and his energy company TerraPower are spearheading a major project that broke ground in Kemmerer, Wyoming last week — a nuclear power plant that relies on sodium cooling rather than water, which is believed to both simplify the process while also being safer, and could make nuclear energy a source of low-cost ...
Is a nuclear power plant being built in Wyoming? ›
Work is starting in Wyoming coal country on a new type of reactor. Its main backer, Bill Gates, says he's in it for the emissions-free electricity. Bill Gates on Monday at the groundbreaking ceremony for TerraPower's nuclear plant in Kemmerer, Wyo. Reporting from Kemmerer, Wyo.
Why did the US stop building nuclear power plants? ›
By the mid-1970s, it became clear that nuclear power would not grow nearly as quickly as once believed. Cost overruns were sometimes a factor of ten above original industry estimates, and became a major problem. For the 75 nuclear power reactors built from 1966 to 1977, cost overruns averaged 207 percent.
Where does the US get its nuclear fuel from? ›
Economically recoverable uranium reserves are located in the western United States, Australia, Canada, Central Asia, Africa, and South America. Uranium production in the United States peaked in 1980, and uranium purchases by U.S. nuclear power plant operators from domestic suppliers peaked in 1981.
How much land does Bill Gates own in Wyoming? ›
It now has a 15,000-square-foot ranch house and many other buildings on its 492 acres, including Buffalo Bill's modest three room cabin. The property is at the end of private road, seven miles long, 20 miles from Cody.
What nuclear company is Bill Gates investing in? ›
Bill Gates plans to invest billions more dollars into nuclear energy through his company TerraPower. The company broke ground last week on a new nuclear power facility in Wyoming that Gates has touted as an example of how such construction can be simpler and much less expensive.
Are there nuclear weapons in Wyoming? ›
The current ICBM force consists of Minuteman III missiles located at the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming; the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana; and the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
What state has no nuclear power plants? ›
Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming don't generate significant nuclear energy.
What state has the most nuclear power plants? ›
Illinois is also the state with the largest number of nuclear power reactors in operation in the U.S.. This state of the Northern Midwest had 11 nuclear reactors in 2023, located in six different nuclear power plants.
Nuclear energy produces radioactive waste
A major environmental concern related to nuclear power is the creation of radioactive wastes such as uranium mill tailings, spent (used) reactor fuel, and other radioactive wastes. These materials can remain radioactive and dangerous to human health for thousands of years.
Is the US currently building any nuclear power plants? ›
There are also licenses approved for another eight nuclear reactors to be constructed in the U.S. However, only two of those reactors, units 3 and 4 at the Vogtle plant in Georgia, are currently under construction, according to Scott Burnell, a spokesperson for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Why does the US not build more nuclear power plants? ›
The high cost of constructing these facilities means that even though uranium itself is cheap, it isn't always economical to build. The Cato Institute examined the costs of building new nuclear power compared to other resources and found that in almost all cases it is more economical to build a natural gas facility.
How many years of uranium is left in the world? ›
Thus the world's present measured resources of uranium (5.7 Mt) in the cost category above present spot prices and used only in conventional reactors, are enough to last about 90 years. This represents a higher level of assured resources than is normal for most minerals.
Where will most of America's nuclear waste go? ›
Most of this waste is stored in tanks at 3 DOE sites. According to federal law, certain high-level mixed waste must be vitrified—a process in which the waste is immobilized in glass—and disposed of in a deep geologic repository.
Why doesn't the US recycle nuclear fuel? ›
Spent nuclear fuel contains 90% of its original energy – so why aren't we recycling it? Nuclear at a Crossroads, Part VI: Experts say low uranium prices, the high cost of recycling, and fears of proliferation have all factored into the decision.
How many nuclear power plants are in Wyoming? ›
Wyoming does not have any nuclear power generation, but the state has the largest U.S. reserves of uranium ore that provides the fuel used by nuclear power plants.
Is the U.S. currently building any nuclear power plants? ›
There are also licenses approved for another eight nuclear reactors to be constructed in the U.S. However, only two of those reactors, units 3 and 4 at the Vogtle plant in Georgia, are currently under construction, according to Scott Burnell, a spokesperson for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Where in Wyoming is TerraPower located? ›
Wyoming. TerraPower is building its first reactor near the site of a retiring coal facility in Kemmerer, Wyoming, in a joint effort with the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Project.
Where are most nuclear power plants being built? ›
China has 55 operable nuclear reactors, with a combined net capacity of 53.3 GWe. In 2022, nuclear generated 5.0% of the country's electricity. The country continues to dominate the market for new nuclear build, with 25 reactors under construction at the end of October 2023.
