TerraPower is developing a 345-megawatt Natrium design that uses molten salt as a cooling material and is about one-third the size of standard plants in service now.
TerraPower LLC, a nuclear power company backed by billionaire Bill Gates, has received approval to build America's first commercial plant using next-generation reactor technology.
The company broke ground on non-nuclear parts of the project in Wyoming in 2024, and on Wednesday was granted a construction permit for its Natrium reactor by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
TerraPower is at the vanguard of nuclear startups racing to build reactors to help supply data centers thirsting for power as well as grids strained by extreme weather and surging electric demand. The company expects the Wyoming plant to go into service in 2031 and sees demand accelerating rapidly as costs decline.
"We need to show that the 10th one will be half the cost of the first one," Chief Executive Officer Chris Levesque said in an interview. "We plan on delivering 10 or more internationally in 2035."
While conventional nuclear plants are cooled with water, TerraPower and other companies are developing advanced reactors that use different types of coolant. The 345-megawatt Natrium design uses molten salt as a cooling material and is about one-third the size of the standard plants in service now that typically have about 1,000 megawatts of capacity.
It is the first commercial reactor approved for construction by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in almost a decade. President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind accelerating construction of nuclear power plants. An executive order he signed in May ordered a revamp of the commission, arguing it had become too risk averse. The order sets an 18 month deadline for permits to be approved for the construction and operation of new reactors.
"This is a historic step forward for advanced nuclear energy in the United States and reflects our commitment to delivering timely, predictable decisions grounded in rigorous and independent safety review," NRC Chairman Ho Nieh said in a statement.
Two other companies pursuing advanced reactor technology have already won approval for smaller systems, but TerraPower is the first with permission to build a full-size commercial plant.
Kairos Power LLC is developing a 50-megawatt demonstration system in Tennessee and plans to sell the power to Tennessee Valley Authority to help run data centers owned by Alphabet Inc.'s Google. Natura Resources LLC is building a 1-megawatt reactor at Abilene Christian University in Texas that may be completed this year.