This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
TerraPower LLC, the nuclear energy startup backed by billionaire Bill Gates (Trades, Portfolio), has received a construction permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build its Natrium reactor in Wyoming, marking what could become the first commercial advanced nuclear reactor project approved in the United States in nearly a decade. The approval comes as advanced nuclear developers race to bring new reactor designs online to help supply electricity for power-hungry data centers and grids facing rising demand and increasingly volatile weather conditions.
The company had already begun construction on non-nuclear portions of the Wyoming project in 2024 and has indicated the facility could begin operating in 2031. TerraPower’s Natrium design has a planned capacity of 345 megawatts and uses molten salt as a cooling material rather than water, differing from conventional nuclear plants that typically operate around 1,000 megawatts. Developers behind advanced reactors have been exploring alternative cooling technologies as part of efforts to build smaller, potentially more flexible nuclear power systems.
The regulatory decision also arrives as US policy begins shifting toward faster nuclear development. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in May calling for a revamp of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and setting an 18-month deadline for approvals of new reactor construction and operation permits. TerraPower’s project places it ahead of several other advanced reactor efforts, including Kairos Power LLC’s planned 50-megawatt demonstration reactor in Tennessee intended to supply electricity for data centers owned by Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Google, and Natura Resources LLC’s 1-megawatt reactor under development at Abilene Christian University in Texas.
