TerraPower, a company founded by Bill Gates, announced on March 29 that it has submitted a construction permit application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the NatriumTM reactor1 demonstration project. The Natrium technology is an advanced nuclear design featuring a sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system.
TerraPower said that it has been working closely with the NRC in pre-application meetings and is confident in its application.
Gates, a co-founder of Microsoft, also serves as chairman of TerraPower..
“Due to its unique design, non-nuclear construction will begin on the Natrium reactor demonstration project this summer, while nuclear construction will begin after this application is approved. Upon completion, the Natrium plant will be a fully functioning commercial power plant,” the company said.
In February, TerraPower announced the second round of contracts for long-lead suppliers supporting the development of the Natrium reactor, strengthening the advanced nuclear supply chain throughout North America, it said.
The Natrium technology features a 345 MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system.
“Other advantages of this Generation IV non-light-water reactor include improved fuel utilization, enhanced safety features and a streamlined plant layout that will require less overall materials to construct,” TerraPower said.
The Natrium storage technology can boost the system’s output to 500 MWe for more than five and a half hours when needed.
This innovative addition allows a Natrium plant to integrate seamlessly with renewable resources and leads to faster, more cost-effective decarbonization of the electric grid while producing dispatchable carbon-free energy.
The Natrium demonstration plant is being constructed near a retiring coal facility.
