TerraPower passes final safety evaluation for permit

KEMMERER (WNE) — The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced on Monday that TerraPower, the company building a nuclear power plant outside of Kemmerer, had completed the final safety evaluation for the Natrium plant’s permit application.

“The evaluation concludes there are no safety aspects that would preclude issuing the construction permit,” according to an NRC press release dated Dec. 1.

“We’ve 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,” said Jeremy Groom, acting director of the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, in the release. “We thank TerraPower for promptly addressing the agency’s questions to ensure safety and enable the NRC to efficiently process the application.”

TerraPower also issued a press release on Monday.

“This favorable safety evaluation from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission reflects years of rigorous evaluation, thoughtful collaboration with the NRC, and an unwavering commitment to both safety and innovation,” TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque in the release.

The Natrium technology includes a sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system, which allows the 345 MWe (megawatt electrical) reactor to increase the output to 500 MWe when needed. It’s the first of its kind and backed by billionaire Bill Gates. 

TerraPower broke ground on the non-nuclear portions of the power plant in June 2024.

The company’s permit now moves to the final phase of the licensing process. 

“The Commission will determine whether a staff’s review supports the findings necessary to issue the permit,” the NRC release states. “Following its deliberations, the Commission will vote on whether to direct the staff to issue the permit.”

Kemmerer Mayor Robert Bowen didn’t return a request for comment by press time.

This story was published on Dec. 4, 2025.