By Dave Pulver:
TerraPower, a Bill Gates company, has started construction on the Natrium demonstration project in Kemmerer, Wyoming, which is set to become the “most advanced nuclear facility in the world.”
The reactor will be capable of powering 400,000 homes and is the first advanced nuclear reactor project under construction in the Western Hemisphere. The Natrium plant is expected to create 1,600 construction jobs and 250 operational jobs, with a total estimated investment of $4 billion, co-funded by the DOE. The project aligns with the Biden administration’s efforts to modernize the power grid and aims to provide dispatchable carbon-free energy, contributing to solving climate change.
The Natrium reactor is a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) and utilizes liquid sodium as a coolant instead of water, which is commonly used in U.S. commercial power plants. Liquid metallic sodium (Na) carries heat away from the reactor core. Sodium has only one stable isotope (sodium-23), making it a weak neutron absorber. Sodium-cooled reactors feature reduced waste streams and improved efficiency and safety. They operate at higher temperatures and lower pressures compared to water-cooled reactors.
Source: UPI.com
Bio: Dave Pulver is a Contributing writer for NFN. A retired communications engineer of 35 years, his interests include technology, history, civics, and politics.
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