The Natrium Advanced Nuclear Power Project in Kemmerer, Wyoming, represents a historic pivot in the American energy landscape, marking the first time the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a construction permit for a commercial non-light-water reactor. Developed by Bill Gates-backed TerraPower in partnership with PacifiCorp, this 345-megawatt sodium-cooled fast reactor is being built on the site of a retiring coal plant, specifically designed to transition a fossil-fuel-dependent workforce into the clean energy sector.
Paradoxically, as Wyoming breaks ground on this “coal-to-nuclear” future, a striking reversal is unfolding in the Pacific Northwest: the Alaska Coal Power Plant Project. Recently unveiled in March 2026, this $1 billion investment by the Terra Energy Center, notably sharing a similar name but a vastly different mission, aims to build a 1.25-gigawatt coal facility in Alaska. This project marks the first new U.S. coal investment in over a decade, driven by surging electricity demands from AI data centers and a shift in federal energy priorities toward domestic fossil fuel expansion.
Together, these two projects illustrate a deeply bifurcated national strategy: while Wyoming’s Natrium plant seeks to prove that advanced nuclear technology can replace coal’s reliability with a carbon-free footprint, the Alaska project demonstrates that coal is making an unexpected comeback to meet the immediate, “power-hungry” demands of the modern digital age.
June 21, 2024
Bechtel will build Natrium Advanced Reactor Demonstration Project in Wyoming .Bechtel is TerraPower’s engineering, procurement, and construction partner on this first-of-a-kind project in Kemmerer, Wyoming. The project is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.
Natrium is an advanced nuclear reactor that uses a sodium-based technology to cool the reactor instead of water. This unique technology developed by TerraPower can provide clean, baseload operation at 345 megawatts with the capability to flex as high as 500 megawatts, generating enough energy to power 400,000 homes.
Reflecting on the significance of today’s milestone, Craig Albert, Bechtel President and COO, shared the following:
“The Natrium reactor’s innovative design will launch a new approach to nuclear plant construction that is designed to be safer, cleaner, faster, and more efficient than many energy source alternatives.”
“Working together, the combination of advanced technology and streamlined constructability has the potential to diversify the U.S. power generation industry. Moreover, the option of deploying smaller advanced nuclear plants that can work in concert with other clean energy sources will help speed our progress toward net-zero emissions.”
Significance of the Natrium Demonstration Project
As the nexus of TerraPower and GE Hitachi technology, the Natrium design represents a leap forward in clean, sustainable power generation. The project will bring a commercial, advanced nuclear reactor online that will deliver carbon-free, reliable power to the electrical grid and provide jobs in Wyoming for decades to come.
Albert commended TerraPower on their Approach and the Significance of our Partnership
“TerraPower extended their visionary approach to the building of the plant itself. Their 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.”
“Natrium will be the first nuclear project where the execution of those plans will benefit from Bechtel’s suite of digital tools and systems, which have been proven to deliver exceptional results on other large energy facilities.”
Additionally ,for 70 years, Bechtel has helped customers deliver clean energy through nuclear. In that time, Bechtel has designed, built, or provided construction services on 150 nuclear plants worldwide, bringing more than 76,000 megawatts of new nuclear generation capacity to the world. Bechtel is proud to bring this trusted expertise to the Natrium Demonstration Project.
About Bechtel
Bechtel is a trusted engineering, construction and project management partner to industry and government. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers’ objectives to create a lasting positive impact. Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world’s infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place.
Moreover, Bechtel serves the Energy; Infrastructure; Manufacturing & Technology; Mining & Metals; and Nuclear, Security & Environmental markets. Our services span from initial planning and investment, through start-up and operations.
Natrium Demonstration Project Project Team
TerraPower: The lead developer and technology provider founded by Bill Gates.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy: The primary technology partner responsible for the co-development of the Natrium reactor design.
Bechtel: The lead Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) partner. Bechtel is responsible for all site construction, having broken ground on non-nuclear infrastructure in mid-2024.
PacifiCorp (Rocky Mountain Power): The utility partner and owner of the site. They are integrating the plant into their grid to replace the retiring Naughton coal units.
SK Group: A major South Korean investor that contributed roughly $250 million to the project’s financing.
North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU): Signed a formal project labor agreement to provide the 1,600+ skilled workers needed for construction.
KBR: Strategic alliance for long-term project management and global deployment.
Doosan Enerbility: Manufacturing the reactor core barrel, guard vessel, and internal supports.
HD Hyundai: Manufacturing the massive reactor vessel
ENSA (Equipos Nucleares S.A.): Producing the reactor head (from Spain).
BWXT Canada Ltd: Designing the reactor’s intermediate heat exchanger.
Curtiss-Wright: Developing the critical reactor protection system.
Marmen: Construction of the rotating plug for the reactor enclosure.
AvanTech: Designing sodium processing modules and skids.
PAR Systems: Designing the pool handling machine (specialized crane for fuel operations).
Structural Integrity Associates: Fabrication of the radiation monitoring spectroscopy systems
Also read: New Carbon-Free small modular nuclear reactor plants to be built in North America