Natrium nuclear power plant construction is reshaping Kemmerer, Wyoming, as TerraPower advances its $4 billion energy project. The town has just over 2,400 residents and a long history built around coal mining and power generation. Now, the project is bringing workers, investment and new housing demand to the community. However, residents remain divided over the pace and scale of the transformation.
The latest attention follows a fresh report highlighting the project’s growing impact on Kemmerer. The report says workers are arriving while home prices and development pressures rise. It also describes concerns about infrastructure, rapid growth and nuclear safety.
The development has therefore shifted from a proposed energy project into a major construction-driven economic transition for the town.
Natrium nuclear power plant drives Wyoming construction
TerraPower officially commenced nuclear construction at Kemmerer Unit 1 on April 23, 2026. The milestone followed the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s construction permit approval in March.
The NRC’s approval marked its first construction permit for a commercial non-light-water power reactor. The decision also cleared TerraPower to advance construction of the reactor itself.
Meanwhile, Bechtel is serving as TerraPower’s engineering, procurement and construction contractor. The company began preparing the site in 2024 before nuclear construction received regulatory approval.
Bechtel’s work has already included construction of the Test and Fill Facility. Its teams poured the facility’s foundation and erected its steel framework during 2025.
The contractor also reported 44 major procurements and contracts worth $100 million. Those packages include molten-salt tanks, steam turbine equipment and steam generation systems.
In addition, TerraPower and Bechtel are mobilizing a construction workforce of roughly 1,600 workers. The completed plant should employ approximately 250 full-time workers.
The project is also part of a wider U.S. push to establish infrastructure for next-generation nuclear technology. In Tennessee, X-energy is developing the TX-1 fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, where Clark Construction Group is delivering a $48.2 million Phase 2A package.
Natrium nuclear power plant changes former coal community
The project sits near the Naughton Power Plant, linking advanced nuclear construction with Wyoming’s coal transition. Bechtel describes the site as a setting against a retiring coal plant.
That transition gives the development unusual economic importance for Kemmerer. Coal has supported local employment and the area’s energy economy for generations.
However, rapid construction creates pressure for a small community. The latest reporting points to rising housing costs and concerns about infrastructure capacity.
Some residents view the project as an opportunity to replace declining coal activity. Others question whether Kemmerer can absorb the workforce and associated growth.
The project also introduces Wyoming to commercial nuclear generation for the first time. Once operational, Natrium will become the state’s first commercial nuclear generating station.
Project scope and technology
The Natrium plant will feature a 345MW sodium-cooled fast reactor. An integrated molten-salt energy storage system will allow output to reach 500MW when required.
The storage system will help the plant respond to changing electricity demand. TerraPower says the system can provide flexible power while maintaining steady base generation.
The project forms part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. The programme supports first-of-a-kind reactor development through public-private cost sharing.
TerraPower expects the facility to become operational around 2030. Before operation, the developer must submit a separate operating licence application to the NRC.
Consequently, Kemmerer’s construction boom will continue for several years. The project’s success could also influence future advanced nuclear developments across former coal communities.
TerraPower’s Wyoming project also comes as several U.S. states explore advanced nuclear construction. New Jersey, for example, has launched a framework targeting at least 1,100MW of advanced nuclear generation. The proposed project could require about $15 billion in investment.
Unlike the Natrium project, New Jersey has not selected a reactor developer or technology. The state must still complete procurement, site selection, licensing, engineering and financing
Project fact sheet
Name: Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1/ Natrium Demonstration Project.
Developer: TerraPower.
Location: Kemmerer, Lincoln County, Wyoming, United States.
Estimated project cost: Approximately $4 billion.
Reactor technology: Natrium pool-type sodium fast reactor.
Reactor electrical capacity: 345MW.
Peak output: Up to 500MW with integrated energy storage.
Thermal capacity: 840MW thermal.
Site setting: Near the Naughton Power Plant and retiring coal-generation infrastructure.
Initial site construction: Began in 2024.
Construction status: Active construction and field execution.
Target completion: Around 2030.
Federal program: U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.
Grid role: Reliable carbon-free electricity with flexible peak-demand output.
Project team
Developer: TerraPower LLC
Project owner/licensee: US SFR Owner, LLC, a TerraPower subsidiary associated with the Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1 license.
EPC/construction partner: Bechtel
Reactor technology partner: GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy
Federal program partner: U.S. Department of Energy
Nuclear regulator: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Local government stakeholder: City of Kemmerer
County government stakeholder: Lincoln County, Wyoming
Utility stakeholder: Rocky Mountain Power/PacifiCorp
Site location: Kemmerer, Wyoming
Reactor technology: TerraPower Natrium technology
Heat exchanger supplier: BWXT Canada
Reactor protection system supplier: Curtiss-Wright Nuclear Division
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