Bill Gates's Company Picks Site in Wyoming for Pilot NPP

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The TerraPower nuclear firm, created by Microsoft co-founder and noted philanthropist Bill Gates, said it has chosen a 2,800 strong city in the western US state of Wyoming as a construction site for its nuclear power plant pilot project.

The selected site is located near the Naughton Power Plant, two remaining coal units of which are expected to retire in 2025.

“People across Wyoming welcomed us into their communities over the past several months, and we are excited to work with PacifiCorp to build the first Natrium plant in Kemmerer. Our innovative technology will help ensure the continued production of reliable electricity while also transitioning our energy system and creating new, good-paying jobs in Wyoming,” Chris Levesque, the company's CEO, was quoted as saying in a statement.

The choice was made based on an assessment of numerous factors, including the physical features of the site, community support, access to existing infrastructure, among other things, according to the statement.

The company is considering applying for a permit to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the project construction as early as mid-2023 and put the plant in operation within the next seven years. The construction process will require some 2,000 employees, and 250 workers will be needed to maintain the daily activities of the facility, the statement elaborated.

The project is aimed to test the features of the Natrium technology. It includes a 345 MW sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system. If necessary, this kind of technology can increase the system's output to 500 MW of power, enough to provide 400,000 houses with energy, the statement read.