Wyoming To Lead The Coal-To-Nuclear Transition, With New Reactor Planned By Bill Gates-Backed TerraPower

Source: James Conca · FORBES · | June 5, 2021

Source: TerraPower’s 345 MWe Natrium™ sodium fast reactor has a molten salt energy storage system that is ideal for backing up intermittent sources and storing excess energy for when it’s needed. The small physical footprint is great, too.

In Wyoming, Pacificorp, an electric utility owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, announced last week that it is teaming up with an advanced nuclear power developer cofounded by Bill Gates called TerraPower, to build a novel reactor that will aim to start replacing the state’s carbon-belching coal industry with zero-carbon nuclear.

Coal and natural gas together produce two-thirds of our electricity, almost equally split between them. Nuclear produces 20%, hydro produces 7%, and renewables about 7%. Oil produces even more energy than either coal or gas, but it is used almost entirely for transportation except during Polar Vortexes when coal, gas and wind fail to produce their share.

But nuclear just powers along, rarely affected by anything.

This reliability of nuclear, plus carbon emissions as low as wind, are why Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, TerraPower President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Levesque, Rocky Mountain Power President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Hoogeveen and Nuclear Energy Institute President and Chief Executive Officer Maria Korsnick attended an event at the Wyoming State Capitol to announce the intention to replace coal plants in the state with advanced nuclear power.