NRC approves construction of advanced nuclear reactor in Wyoming

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued its first commercial nuclear reactor construction permit in nearly 10 years Wednesday to a subsidiary of Bill Gates’ TerraPower for a 345-MW plant planned near the site of a retiring coal plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming. 

Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1 will be the first utility-scale advanced nuclear power plant in the U.S., TerraPower said in a release, and will supply power to PacifiCorp’s grid, with completion anticipated in 2030.

The NRC said that after a streamlined mandatory hearing process, it authorized its Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation to issue the permit, “having found the staff’s review of the Kemmerer application adequate to make the necessary regulatory safety and environmental findings. The staff expects to issue the permit soon.”

Read more at Utility Dive