TerraPower awards three major contracts for its Natrium reactor in the United States

TerraPower has selected three new American suppliers for its advanced Natrium nuclear reactor, confirming progress on the project located in Kemmerer, Wyoming, intended to replace a retiring coal-fired power plant.

Share:

Gain full professional access to energynews.pro from 4.90$/month.
Designed for decision-makers, with no long-term commitment.

Over 30,000 articles published since 2021.
150 new market analyses every week to decode global energy trends.

Monthly Digital PRO PASS

Immediate Access
4.90$/month*

No commitment – cancel anytime, activation in 2 minutes.

*Special launch offer: 1st month at the indicated price, then 14.90 $/month, no long-term commitment.

Annual Digital PRO Pass

Full Annual Access
99$/year*

To access all of energynews.pro without any limits

*Introductory annual price for year one, automatically renewed at 149.00 $/year from the second year.

TerraPower has announced the awarding of three contracts as part of the fifth procurement round for its Natrium project. The Natrium nuclear demonstration plant, planned near a coal-fired power station nearing permanent shutdown in the Kemmerer region of Wyoming, is initially designed to produce 345 megawatts electric (MWe) through a sodium-cooled fast reactor, using High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel.

Three companies selected

The first contract involves AVANTech LLC, an American firm tasked with designing advanced sodium processing modules and related support equipment for the Natrium plant. The second contract has been awarded to Structural Integrity Associates, responsible for designing and manufacturing the Sodium Cover Gas Gamma Spectroscopy Analysis system intended for radiation monitoring. Finally, PAR Systems will manufacture a specialised used fuel handling system called the Pool Handling Machine, enabling the safe transport of used fuel assemblies into storage pools for inspection and maintenance.

These new contracts follow previous procurement rounds for the project, for which TerraPower has already secured all long-lead equipment items, as well as the complete reactor enclosure system for the Natrium reactor. Additionally, the company was the first in the United States to submit, in March 2024, an application for a construction permit to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a commercial advanced nuclear reactor.

Accelerated regulatory milestones

The NRC recently indicated it expects to complete the review of TerraPower’s application by the end of 2025, ahead of the original schedule that set the deadline in August 2026. Furthermore, TerraPower officially initiated initial non-nuclear construction works on its Wyoming site in June 2024 during a groundbreaking ceremony.

These developments follow a significant fundraising effort completed last month. Among the investors participating in this USD650 million capital raise are NVentures, NVIDIA’s venture capital subsidiary, TerraPower founder Bill Gates, and South Korean industrial conglomerate HD Hyundai.

Securing a domestic supply chain

Chris Levesque, President and Chief Executive Officer of TerraPower, stated that “a resilient and diversified domestic supply chain is essential to completing our Natrium plant and bringing the first commercial-scale advanced reactor online in the United States.” According to him, each contract award illustrates the company’s commitment to delivering reliable and competitive advanced nuclear energy.

The Vice-Chairman of Russia’s Security Council believes more countries will develop nuclear weapons and generative AI technologies as a result of increasing public sector efforts.
An international tribunal ruled in favour of French company Orano against the State of Niger, which had blocked the sale of uranium extracted from the Arlit mine since taking control of the site in 2023.
US-based Oklo and Sweden’s Blykalla join forces to coordinate supply chains and regulatory data sharing to accelerate the commercial deployment of their metal-cooled small modular reactors.
EDF plans a massive €25bn ($26.5bn) investment to modernise its nuclear fleet, focusing on reactor lifetime extension and preparing for new nuclear projects in France.
The French Energy Regulatory Commission set the full nuclear cost at €60.3/MWh by 2026, outlining the taxation thresholds applicable under the market reform scheduled for 2026.
The Ministry of Energy will initiate talks with developers of small nuclear reactors after signing a cooperation agreement with the United States to conduct preliminary studies on their deployment.
The restart of the Flamanville EPR reactor, initially scheduled for 1 October, has been delayed by more than two weeks due to a maintenance operation on the primary circuit.
The International Atomic Energy Agency says known natural uranium reserves will meet global nuclear power plant demand for the rest of the century, despite price pressures.
Site selection for Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant enters an advanced technical phase, with more than 100 experts mobilised by Rosatom to conduct complex geological and seismic analyses.
The ICSID arbitral tribunal ordered Niger to suspend any sale of uranium produced by SOMAÏR, ruling that this material falls under Orano’s contractual rights, amid a dispute with the State that has lasted for several months.
US-based TNC has entered into a strategic agreement with Nucor Corporation to expand gigawatt-scale nuclear capacity in line with federal targets of 400 GW by 2050.
Framatome and Italian agency ENEA have signed an agreement to design nuclear reactors capable of powering future human settlements on the Moon, amid growing European ambitions in space.
A technical report backed by the Government of Alberta confirms the potential of the Xe-100 reactor to meet the province’s industrial and electrical energy needs.
Drones were detected within 500 metres of the South Ukraine nuclear power plant, while Zaporizhzhia remains without off-site power.
At World Atomic Week in Moscow, the Russian president advocated for a reform of civil nuclear funding mechanisms, urging stronger involvement from multilateral financial institutions.
Seoul estimates Pyongyang holds enough highly enriched uranium to produce up to 50 atomic bombs, reigniting concerns over its growing nuclear arsenal despite international sanctions.
Romanian producer Nuclearelectrica has secured €620mn in funding to modernise Cernavoda unit 1 and launch the next phase of units 3 and 4, backed by a banking syndicate led by JP Morgan.
Iran has less than two days to avoid the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions, as Europeans and the United States deem its nuclear commitments insufficient.
The Indian government plans a legal fund dedicated to compensating major nuclear accidents to remove barriers to private and foreign investment in the sector.
TerraPower, Evergy and Kansas economic authorities are assessing the deployment of a Natrium reactor and energy storage system under a memorandum of understanding focused on site selection.

Log in to read this article

You'll also have access to a selection of our best content.

[wc_register_modal]