The nuclear industry hit a major milestone. TerraPower, the innovation company based in Bellevue, Washington, recently received approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to start building its first Natrium plant. This is the first time a commercial-scale, advanced nuclear plant has ever received a construction permit in the United States.

A Long Road

The team at TerraPower spent over four years working closely with regulators to make sure every detail was right. They officially turned in their application about two years ago, and since then, they’ve put in thousands of hours answering questions and refining their plans.

The review was supposed to take 27 months, but it finished ahead of schedule in 18 months. A mix of paperwork, support from Congress, and a streamlined review process helped push things across the finish line faster than expected.

“Today is a historic day for the United States’ nuclear industry,” Chris Levesque, the president and CEO of TerraPower, said. “We are beyond proud to receive a positive vote from the Nuclear Regulatory Commissioners to grant us our construction permit for Kemmerer Unit One.”

Why This Nuclear Plant is Different

The Natrium plant is special because it uses liquid sodium to stay cool instead of using water like traditional reactors. It also features a built-in energy storage system made of molten salt. On a typical day, it puts out 345 MW of power, but if demand suddenly spikes, it can ramp up to 500 MW. It’s currently the only advanced design that can do that.

Now that the paperwork is signed, the real work begins. Construction is set to start in the next few weeks at the Kemmerer site. If everything stays on track, the plant should be finished by 2030.

“We have spent thousands of manpower hours working to achieve this momentous accomplishment,” Levesque said. “We plan to start construction on the Natrium plant in the coming weeks and look forward to bringing the first Natrium reactor and energy storage system to market in the great state of Wyoming.”