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Released July 08, 2024 | SUGAR LAND
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Written by John Egan for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--When it comes to nuclear power, some may cringe when they hear the term, "first of its kind." That verbiage was used 15 years ago, when the industry spoke optimistically about the "nuclear renaissance" that would begin with the addition of two new units to the Alvin W. Vogtle Nuclear Power Station in Georgia. That project, which used the then-new advanced passive reactor, is finally complete, at a cost of around $32 billion--more than double the original estimate--and years late in coming online.
At the groundbreaking ceremony June 10 for the Natrium demonstration nuclear power plant in Wyoming, "first of its kind" optimism, if not the actual words, was in the air.
"This groundbreaking represents the beginning of the next era of nuclear energy," said Chris Levesque, president and chief executive at TerraPower (Bellingham, Washington), developer of the 345-megawatt sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system.
"This first-of-its-kind project is good for the community of Kemmerer-Diamondville, the State of Wyoming and our nation," added Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon.
The Natrium project certainly is different from previous iterations of water-cooled nuclear reactors. Developed over more than a decade with Microsoft founder Bill Gates' money, the project not only is designed to generate dispatchable carbon-free electricity, but an accompanying gigawatt-scale energy storage component could store renewable energy and thus facilitate its greater integration into the electric grid.
Natrium reactors use sodium, instead of water, as a coolant, TerraPower said on its website. The company said its design "capitalizes on natural forces, such as gravity and thermal convection, enabling passive cooling and significantly reducing safety-related costs compared to conventional reactors."
Craig Albert, president and chief operating officer of Bechtel (Reston, Virginia), the project's engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm, said this on June 10, as ground was being broken for the project: "The Natrium reactor does not need the complex containment structures, cooling water circulation, and redundant safety systems necessary for conventional nuclear generation, allowing a much smaller footprint and a reduced need for expensive concrete and steel."
"The involvement of Bechtel from the very beginning means the entire project lifecycle, including construction, has been optimized at every stage, making the entire process cost-effective, fast and repeatable," he added.
The project is being constructed on the site of the Naughton coal-and-gas-fired power plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming, one unit of which is scheduled to be retired later this decade. In 2020, the advanced reactor program at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) (Washington, D.C.) awarded TerraPower the first portion of what would become $2 billion in grants, which the developer will match, to build the Natrium project. In addition to Gates' deep pockets, the project secured equity investments totaling about $830 million from outside firms in late 2022.
Building a new, next-generation nuclear reactor comes as U.S. electric demand is projected to soar, driven in large part by construction of data centers, and at a time of rising concerns over electric reliability and global warming. Hundreds of fossil-fueled generators have been retired over the last 15 years, many of which have been replaced by intermittent renewable generation like wind and solar. But intermittent resources cannot be scheduled and dispatched, worrying grid managers and electric utilities about the industry's continued ability to balance supply and demand.
"This is a challenging yet exciting time in the energy industry," Cindy Crane, chief executive of PacifiCorp (Portland, Oregon), said at the June 10 groundbreaking. "In an era of rapid change, the need for reliable, affordable and dispatchable energy will remain a constant. Innovative technologies like the Natrium project will enhance our ability to serve our customers, meet growing demand and ensure a reliable and resilient energy future."
There are several reasons why Wyoming and the Naughton site was a logical place to construct the next-generation reactor. Since demand for thermal coal peaked in 2008, coal use has plummeted about 63% as scores of coal-fired generators have been retired or converted. This has badly damaged the extractive economy of the Cowboy State, the nation's largest producer of coal. Also, the Natrium project can take advantage of the Naughton plant's existing electric infrastructure. Thirdly, windpower development is rapidly growing in Wyoming. If proposed transmission lines to carry that wind energy to other parts of the country are not ready when the windfarms finish construction, their energy can be stored at the energy storage component of the Natrium project.
Click on the image at right to see a graphic showing declining use of thermal coal in the 21st century.
The groundbreaking heralded the beginnings of non-nuclear construction work at the site, mainly preparing land and installing infrastructure. Earlier this year, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) (Rockville, Maryland) accepted TerraPower's application for a construction permit, which marked the first time in over four decades that the agency will consider an application to build a commercial non-light water reactor. The agency has never issued a construction permit for a commercial non-light water reactor.
TerraPower's construction application, filed March 29, came as the agency finished work on guidance to streamline non-light water reactor applications for consistency, quality and uniformity of reviews.
Work can proceed on the non-nuclear aspects of the project while the NRC reviews TerraPower's application for a construction permit, which reportedly was about 3,300 pages in length. The agency is expected to take a few years to certify the reactor design, at which point nuclear construction can begin, TerraPower said.
In all, TerraPower projected construction would take about five years.
For an industry repeatedly burned by missed deadlines, the Natrium project started off awkwardly, though that was not the fault of TerraPower, Bechtel or the project's equipment suppliers. Rather, after Russian invaded Ukraine in early 2022, the project's commercial operation date was moved back two years, to 2030, because Russia was, at that time, the only source of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel for the project.
In late 2022, a venture led by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) (Wilmington, North Carolina) announced it was building a Natrium fuel manufacturing facility near Wilmington, North Carolina. Construction was scheduled to begin in 2023.
In a recent Reuters news report, TerraPower's chief executive officer said the project's fuel supply was a concern. "We still think 2030 is our best bet as to when we can get things completed, but I can't tell you today that I can account for every kilogram of HALEU that we will need, where it will come from, and when we'll have it, so that is certainly something that still keeps us up at night."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
At the groundbreaking ceremony June 10 for the Natrium demonstration nuclear power plant in Wyoming, "first of its kind" optimism, if not the actual words, was in the air.
"This groundbreaking represents the beginning of the next era of nuclear energy," said Chris Levesque, president and chief executive at TerraPower (Bellingham, Washington), developer of the 345-megawatt sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system.
"This first-of-its-kind project is good for the community of Kemmerer-Diamondville, the State of Wyoming and our nation," added Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon.
The Natrium project certainly is different from previous iterations of water-cooled nuclear reactors. Developed over more than a decade with Microsoft founder Bill Gates' money, the project not only is designed to generate dispatchable carbon-free electricity, but an accompanying gigawatt-scale energy storage component could store renewable energy and thus facilitate its greater integration into the electric grid.
Natrium reactors use sodium, instead of water, as a coolant, TerraPower said on its website. The company said its design "capitalizes on natural forces, such as gravity and thermal convection, enabling passive cooling and significantly reducing safety-related costs compared to conventional reactors."
Craig Albert, president and chief operating officer of Bechtel (Reston, Virginia), the project's engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm, said this on June 10, as ground was being broken for the project: "The Natrium reactor does not need the complex containment structures, cooling water circulation, and redundant safety systems necessary for conventional nuclear generation, allowing a much smaller footprint and a reduced need for expensive concrete and steel."
"The involvement of Bechtel from the very beginning means the entire project lifecycle, including construction, has been optimized at every stage, making the entire process cost-effective, fast and repeatable," he added.
The project is being constructed on the site of the Naughton coal-and-gas-fired power plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming, one unit of which is scheduled to be retired later this decade. In 2020, the advanced reactor program at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) (Washington, D.C.) awarded TerraPower the first portion of what would become $2 billion in grants, which the developer will match, to build the Natrium project. In addition to Gates' deep pockets, the project secured equity investments totaling about $830 million from outside firms in late 2022.
Building a new, next-generation nuclear reactor comes as U.S. electric demand is projected to soar, driven in large part by construction of data centers, and at a time of rising concerns over electric reliability and global warming. Hundreds of fossil-fueled generators have been retired over the last 15 years, many of which have been replaced by intermittent renewable generation like wind and solar. But intermittent resources cannot be scheduled and dispatched, worrying grid managers and electric utilities about the industry's continued ability to balance supply and demand.
"This is a challenging yet exciting time in the energy industry," Cindy Crane, chief executive of PacifiCorp (Portland, Oregon), said at the June 10 groundbreaking. "In an era of rapid change, the need for reliable, affordable and dispatchable energy will remain a constant. Innovative technologies like the Natrium project will enhance our ability to serve our customers, meet growing demand and ensure a reliable and resilient energy future."
There are several reasons why Wyoming and the Naughton site was a logical place to construct the next-generation reactor. Since demand for thermal coal peaked in 2008, coal use has plummeted about 63% as scores of coal-fired generators have been retired or converted. This has badly damaged the extractive economy of the Cowboy State, the nation's largest producer of coal. Also, the Natrium project can take advantage of the Naughton plant's existing electric infrastructure. Thirdly, windpower development is rapidly growing in Wyoming. If proposed transmission lines to carry that wind energy to other parts of the country are not ready when the windfarms finish construction, their energy can be stored at the energy storage component of the Natrium project.
The groundbreaking heralded the beginnings of non-nuclear construction work at the site, mainly preparing land and installing infrastructure. Earlier this year, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) (Rockville, Maryland) accepted TerraPower's application for a construction permit, which marked the first time in over four decades that the agency will consider an application to build a commercial non-light water reactor. The agency has never issued a construction permit for a commercial non-light water reactor.
TerraPower's construction application, filed March 29, came as the agency finished work on guidance to streamline non-light water reactor applications for consistency, quality and uniformity of reviews.
Work can proceed on the non-nuclear aspects of the project while the NRC reviews TerraPower's application for a construction permit, which reportedly was about 3,300 pages in length. The agency is expected to take a few years to certify the reactor design, at which point nuclear construction can begin, TerraPower said.
In all, TerraPower projected construction would take about five years.
For an industry repeatedly burned by missed deadlines, the Natrium project started off awkwardly, though that was not the fault of TerraPower, Bechtel or the project's equipment suppliers. Rather, after Russian invaded Ukraine in early 2022, the project's commercial operation date was moved back two years, to 2030, because Russia was, at that time, the only source of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel for the project.
In late 2022, a venture led by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) (Wilmington, North Carolina) announced it was building a Natrium fuel manufacturing facility near Wilmington, North Carolina. Construction was scheduled to begin in 2023.
In a recent Reuters news report, TerraPower's chief executive officer said the project's fuel supply was a concern. "We still think 2030 is our best bet as to when we can get things completed, but I can't tell you today that I can account for every kilogram of HALEU that we will need, where it will come from, and when we'll have it, so that is certainly something that still keeps us up at night."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
