US-based TerraPower has announced 12 supplier awards as it continues to build out the supply chain needed to support its first Natrium plant, Kemmerer unit 1 in Wyoming being built at a retired coal plant in partnership with the utility PacifiCorp. Construction began in April after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) granted the first-ever construction permit for a commercial-scale advanced NPP in March. The project has been under active development since TerraPower broke ground on the greenfield site in June 2024 and began construction on non-nuclear support facilities.
The plant features a 345 MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor integrated with a molten salt-based energy storage system. The storage technology allows the facility to temporarily boost its power output to 500 MWe for over five hours, enabling it to follow daily electricity load changes and integrate with renewable energy sources. Construction is expected to involve approximately 1,600 workers, with 250 full-time staff required for operations. Completion is targeted for 2030. The total project cost is estimated at $4bn, with the Department of Energy (DOE) providing half through its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP).
“Securing supplier contracts is fundamental to establishing the resilient and sustainable supply chain needed to build advanced nuclear plants,” said Pat Young, senior vice president and Natrium project director at TerraPower. “With each contract awarded, we are strengthening our network of qualified partners and ensuring critical milestones are met as we bring the Natrium reactor to market.”
These equipment awards support the construction of the Natrium plant, as well as support completion of the first-of-a-kind sodium test and fill facility that is also being constructed on the Natrium site in Wyoming.
Supplier awards include:
- Merrick & Company: Pin Removal Cell Design
- Merrick & Company: Sodium Cover Gas Monitoring Skids Design
- Mirion Technologies Inc.: Plant Cyber System
- BWXT Canada Ltd.: Control Rod Drives Design
- Teledyne Brown Engineering Inc.: Sodium Cover Gas Tag Gas Analysis Cabinet
- Marmen Inc.: Fuel Transfer Lift Design for Manufacturing
- Thermal Engineering International (USA) Inc: Air-Sodium Heat Exchanger
- Jensen Hughes: Drain and Expansion Tanks Design
- Boston Government Services, LLC: Sodium Cover Gas Control Skids Design
- James Fisher Technologies LLC: Ex-Vessel Storage Tank Design
- KROHNE Nuclear: Intermediate Heat Transfer Flow Meters
- Valserve: Intermediate Heat Transfer Drain Valves
TerraPower said securing contracts up and down the supply chain is critical to ensuring project milestones are met and the US manufacturing base is well positioned to support the exponential growth in advanced nuclear deployment anticipated in the coming decade.
TerraPower has secured commitments and commercial partnerships for up to 14 Natrium advanced nuclear plants globally, primarily driven by utility transitions and big-tech data centre energy demands.
Beyond the Wyoming plant, TerraPower and PacifiCorp are conducting joint feasibility studies to deploy up to five additional Natrium reactors across PacifiCorp’s service territory by 2035.
In January, TerraPower and Meta signed a deal to develop up to eight Natrium plants in the US to supply Meta data centres with 2.8 GWe of baseload energy, with initial units targeting delivery as early as 2032.
In August, TerraPower established strategic agreements with Hyundai Engineering & Construction (HDEC) and SK Innovation. HDEC will act as the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) partner to commercialise and build Natrium plants across the US, South Korea, and select global markets.
TerraPower has also entered the UK’s Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process and is targeting a reactor launch timeline in the UK in the early-to-mid 2030s
To speed up the Kemmerer site construction, many of the structural modules for the nuclear island are being prefabricated off-site. These include pre-cast shielding – large concrete and steel modular sections for the reactor building foundations and safety walls; and support steel – heavy-duty structural frames designed to meet seismic and nuclear safety standards.
TerraPower has already assembled a global network of specialised partners to manufacture these components. The reactor pressure vessel is being manufactured by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. The core barrel & guard vessel is being produced by Doosan Enerbility (formerly Doosan Heavy Industries) in South Korea. The reactor head is being fabricated by Equipos Nucleares SA (ENSA) in Spain. The rotating plug is being manufactured by Marmen (a Canada-US joint venture).
Intermediate heat exchangers are being designed and fabricated by BWXT Canada Ltd. The sodium pumps are being designed and built by Hayward Tyler in the US. Secondary heat exchangers are being fabricated by Thermal Engineering International (TEi) in the US.
The reactor protection system is being developed by Curtiss-Wright Flow Control Service. The engineering simulator is being developed by Western Service Corporation (WSC) to provide simulation-assisted engineering for the design.
