TerraPower had just one more study it was waiting on before it could go before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to seek its construction permit.
That was its final safety evaluation, a rigorous look from top to bottom of all the proposed Natrium nuclear power plant’s safety features and protocols.
TerraPower said in October that the safety evaluation was expected Dec. 31. But the study is now finished a full 30 days ahead of schedule, the NRC announced Monday.
The acceleration in permitting for TerraPower represents a new normal, Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Acting Director Jeremy Groom indicated in a media statement announcing completion of TerraPower's safety evaluation.
“We have finished our technical work on the Kemmerer review a month ahead of our already accelerated schedule, as we aim to make licensing decisions for new, advanced reactors in no more than 18 months,” he said. “We thank TerraPower for promptly addressing the agency’s questions to ensure safety and enable the NRC to efficiently process the application.”
The NRC staff evaluation gives the Kemmerer plant a favorable review, finding “reasonable assurance that the final design will conform to the design basis,” the evaluation states.
It also “includes an adequate margin of safety,” as well as “describes the structures, systems and components which will provide for the prevention of accidents and the mitigation of consequences of accidents.”
From here, the safety evaluation will go the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, along with the final environmental impact statement, which was issued in October.
“The Commission will determine whether the staff’s review supports the findings necessary to issue the permit,” NRC’s media statement said. “Following its deliberations, the Commission will vote on whether to direct the staff to issue the permit.”
Energy Security
It was not clear at publication time whether the safety evaluation would allow TerraPower to accelerate much beyond its already planned construction timeline.
The company did not immediately respond to requests for clarification, but TerraPower CEO Chris Levesque released a statement calling it a “momentous occasion” for everyone involved.
“This favorable safety evaluation from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reflects years of rigorous evaluation, thoughtful collaboration with the NRC, and an unwavering commitment to both safety and innovation,” he said. “I am deeply proud of our team’s efforts in pioneering the design and licensing of America’s first, commercial-scale, advanced nuclear power plant.
"TerraPower remains focused on delivering the next generation of reliable, flexible power to the grid and long-term jobs for the Kemmerer community.”
The completion of the final safety evaluation a month ahead of schedule suggests the strength of the project, said U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming.
“(It) demonstrates the strength of TerraPower’s application and the remarkable efficiency achieved through the Trump administration’s commitment to revitalizing nuclear energy and reforming NRC permitting processes,” she said in a Monday statement.
“Wyoming is America’s energy leader, and the Kemmerer Power Station will cement our state’s role at the forefront of the next-generation nuclear power, providing reliable base load power and good-paying jobs for Wyoming workers — all made possible because the Trump administration recognizes nuclear energy as essential to our nation’s energy independence,” she said.
What Is A Natrium Plant?
TerraPower’s nuclear plant in Kemmerer is the first advanced commercial nuclear power plant to reach this particular regulatory milestone.
That puts Kemmerer in position to make Wyoming and U.S. energy history.
It is already home to the first JCPenney store in America, which is called the “Mother Store” by locals. Now it will also have the “mother” Natrium plant.
TerraPower’s Natrium plant uses novel technology to improve its safety.
The plan calls for a 345-megawatt (MW) sodium-cooled fast reactor, coupled with a molten salt-based energy storage system. The design will allow the system to boost power to up to 500 MW at times of peak demand.
Sodium reactors are less likely to melt down, TerraPower has said. That’s because the boiling point of sodium is much higher than water — and much higher than the reactor’s temperature.
That means there should never be a situation where the reactor’s coolant can boil or vaporize away, unlike water-cooled reactors.
The system also doesn’t need to be pressurized to work the way it would with water as a coolant, which eliminates yet another potential failure point.
Liquid sodium can catch fire, however, if exposed to air or water.
That’s why TerraPower has been building what it calls a test and fill facility, which is already under construction.
That will be used to game out every possible weakness before the nuclear reactor goes online, TerraPower’s Director of External Affairs Jeff Navin has told Cowboy State Daily in previous interviews.
“Once the test and fill facility is operational, then we’ll have people working there, testing components, working with the sodium, making sure that it’s acting in the way we anticipate it will,” he said. “Then, in 2026, we anticipate we’ll start working, we’ll have our license from the NRC, and then we’ll start working on the actual nuclear reactor at the site.”
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
