Overview
- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted unanimously on March 4 to issue a construction permit for TerraPower’s Kemmerer Unit 1, the first U.S. approval for a commercial advanced non‑light‑water reactor in decades and the first reactor construction permit in nearly 10 years.
- TerraPower says nuclear construction will begin within weeks at the Wyoming site, where non‑nuclear work started in 2024, with commercial operation targeted around 2030–2031.
- The Natrium system combines a 345 MW sodium‑cooled fast reactor with molten‑salt energy storage that can temporarily boost output to about 500 MW during peak demand.
- The permit authorizes construction only, so the plant still needs an operating license and a dependable supply of HALEU fuel, which remains constrained in the U.S.
- Regulators finished the technical review in 18 months versus an initial 27‑month schedule, and the demonstration is supported by DOE’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (up to $2 billion) alongside private partners including Meta, SK Group and KHNP.