This is great news after Trump ruined his deal to build a demo plant in China:
Wyoming has been selected as the site of a new nuclear power plant.
The state will house the first Natrium Reactor in a partnership with Bill Gates' TerraPower company, PacifiCorp and the U.S. Department of Energy, Gov. Mark Gordon announced Wednesday.
"Wyoming has been a leader in energy for over a century," Gates said remotely at a news conference from the state Capitol, "and we hope our investment in Natrium will allow Wyoming to stay in the lead for many decades to come."
This will be the first one of the first small modular reactors in the U.S.
"Today is an exciting, exciting day," Gordon said, adding that the plant will create hundreds of jobs that are comparable in pay and quality to fossil fuels industry positions.
Gov. Gordon says nuclear plant will bring hundreds of jobs
The reactor is scheduled to begin generating electricity in mid-2028. It's estimated that the project will involve two to three years of design and licensing work before construction begins.
The exact location of the new reactor is still up in the air. The plant will replace a current coal-fired plant operated by PacifiCorp. Gary Hoogeveen, president and CEO of PacifiCorp division Rocky Mountain Power, said the goal is to decide by the end of 2021 which of the utility's four plants will house the nuclear power plant: Jim Bridger near Rock Springs, Naughton in Kemmerer, Dave Johnson in Glenrock or Wyodak near Gillette.
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, who also spoke remotely at the event, said the new reactor will produce 345 megawatts of power.
"We are ready to make investments in advanced nuclear technology so that communities all over the country can enjoy the benefits of safe and reliable and clean power that will leave them with lower energy bills and greater opportunities," Granholm said.
The reactor will use small, modular reactors as opposed to the traditional larger ones. These smaller modular reactions can be used individually or combined to create a single large power plant.
TerraPower was one of two companies to receive an $80 million Federal Energy Department grant in late 2020, the first installment to put toward establishing a nuclear power plant.
"This country is going to continue to depend on Wyoming energy for decades and decades to come," Sen. John Barrasso said at the news conference.
The announcement comes as state leaders are grappling with how to position Wyoming in a diminished future for fossil fuels — traditionally the state's economic driver. Coal production in particular has been on the decline as coal-burning power plans continue to retire amid increased competition from natural gas and renewable energy.
The heart of coal country is having to pivot as the move towards renewable energy picks up pace. With an abundance of high winds and open vistas, the move seems simple. But for the communities who have long relied on the steady income from coal, it's a lot harder than it seems. Source by: Stringr
The downturn in the state's energy sector, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, prompted multiple rounds of cuts to the state's budget amid declines in revenues.
“The development of a nuclear energy facility will bring welcome tax revenue to Wyoming’s state budget, which has seen a significant decline in recent years,” according to a Gordon news release.
State leaders have talked for decades about diversifying Wyoming's economy from the boom-and-bust cycle tied to oil, natural gas and coal. However, that effort has yet to move away from its dependence on energy to fuel the economy.
Barrasso, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, also appeared with Gordon at the podium Wednesday. Barrasso has been a proponent of expanding the U.S. nuclear sector.
Wyoming is the nation's top producer of uranium, Barrasso said, and some of that material will now be used here.
"This is the future of nuclear energy in America compared to what we’ve been doing over the last 65 years, with the energy being clean, affordable, reliable, safe," he said.
Sen. Barrasso says Wyoming is right place for nuclear plant
The news comes as most of American nuclear plants today are approaching the end of their life spans. In 2020, nuclear power produced a fifth of the total electricity generated in the U.S., the same amount as renewables.
Nuclear power’s carbon footprint is equal to wind, less than solar and far less than coal. Nuclear power plants also occupy much less land than solar and wind farms, which people in Wyoming complain can be an eyesore.
Gordon recently set a goal for the state to become carbon neutral.
He cited Wednesday's announcement as a piece of his "all-of-the-above" energy strategy.
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Wyoming has been selected as the site of a new nuclear power plant.
The state will house the first Natrium Reactor in a partnership with Bill Gates' TerraPower company, PacifiCorp and the U.S. Department of Energy, Gov. Mark Gordon announced Wednesday.
"Wyoming has been a leader in energy for over a century," Gates said remotely at a news conference from the state Capitol, "and we hope our investment in Natrium will allow Wyoming to stay in the lead for many decades to come."
This will be the first one of the first small modular reactors in the U.S.
"Today is an exciting, exciting day," Gordon said, adding that the plant will create hundreds of jobs that are comparable in pay and quality to fossil fuels industry positions.
Gov. Gordon says nuclear plant will bring hundreds of jobs
The reactor is scheduled to begin generating electricity in mid-2028. It's estimated that the project will involve two to three years of design and licensing work before construction begins.
The exact location of the new reactor is still up in the air. The plant will replace a current coal-fired plant operated by PacifiCorp. Gary Hoogeveen, president and CEO of PacifiCorp division Rocky Mountain Power, said the goal is to decide by the end of 2021 which of the utility's four plants will house the nuclear power plant: Jim Bridger near Rock Springs, Naughton in Kemmerer, Dave Johnson in Glenrock or Wyodak near Gillette.
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, who also spoke remotely at the event, said the new reactor will produce 345 megawatts of power.
"We are ready to make investments in advanced nuclear technology so that communities all over the country can enjoy the benefits of safe and reliable and clean power that will leave them with lower energy bills and greater opportunities," Granholm said.
The reactor will use small, modular reactors as opposed to the traditional larger ones. These smaller modular reactions can be used individually or combined to create a single large power plant.
TerraPower was one of two companies to receive an $80 million Federal Energy Department grant in late 2020, the first installment to put toward establishing a nuclear power plant.
"This country is going to continue to depend on Wyoming energy for decades and decades to come," Sen. John Barrasso said at the news conference.
The announcement comes as state leaders are grappling with how to position Wyoming in a diminished future for fossil fuels — traditionally the state's economic driver. Coal production in particular has been on the decline as coal-burning power plans continue to retire amid increased competition from natural gas and renewable energy.
The heart of coal country is having to pivot as the move towards renewable energy picks up pace. With an abundance of high winds and open vistas, the move seems simple. But for the communities who have long relied on the steady income from coal, it's a lot harder than it seems. Source by: Stringr
The downturn in the state's energy sector, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, prompted multiple rounds of cuts to the state's budget amid declines in revenues.
“The development of a nuclear energy facility will bring welcome tax revenue to Wyoming’s state budget, which has seen a significant decline in recent years,” according to a Gordon news release.
State leaders have talked for decades about diversifying Wyoming's economy from the boom-and-bust cycle tied to oil, natural gas and coal. However, that effort has yet to move away from its dependence on energy to fuel the economy.
Barrasso, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, also appeared with Gordon at the podium Wednesday. Barrasso has been a proponent of expanding the U.S. nuclear sector.
Wyoming is the nation's top producer of uranium, Barrasso said, and some of that material will now be used here.
"This is the future of nuclear energy in America compared to what we’ve been doing over the last 65 years, with the energy being clean, affordable, reliable, safe," he said.
Sen. Barrasso says Wyoming is right place for nuclear plant
The news comes as most of American nuclear plants today are approaching the end of their life spans. In 2020, nuclear power produced a fifth of the total electricity generated in the U.S., the same amount as renewables.
Nuclear power’s carbon footprint is equal to wind, less than solar and far less than coal. Nuclear power plants also occupy much less land than solar and wind farms, which people in Wyoming complain can be an eyesore.
Gordon recently set a goal for the state to become carbon neutral.
He cited Wednesday's announcement as a piece of his "all-of-the-above" energy strategy.
Wyoming selected as site of new nuclear power plant in partnership with Bill Gates' TerraPower
The announcement comes as state leaders are grappling with how to position Wyoming in a diminished future for fossil fuels — traditionally the state's economic driver.
