Nov 21, 2021

Bill Gates venture picks Wyoming city for sodium nuke plant

Posted Nov 21, 2021 6:00 PM

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A small city in the top U.S. coal-mining state of Wyoming will be home to a Bill Gates-backed experimental nuclear power project near a coal-fired power plant scheduled to close soon.

Officials with Bellevue, Washington-based TerraPower announced Tuesday they will build the Natrium plant in Kemmerer, a southwestern Wyoming city of 2,600 people.

A coal-fired power plant operated by PacifiCorp subsidiary Rocky Mountain Power is set to close in Kemmerer in 2025.

Proponents of the project featuring a sodium-cooled fast reactor say it would perform better, be safer and cost less than traditional nuclear power.

Others are skeptical, saying such reactors aren't as safe or practical as claimed.