TerraPower announced 12 supplier awards for its first Natrium plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming, extending the supply chain behind what the company describes as the first commercial-scale advanced nuclear project in the United States.

The awards went to Merrick Company, which received two contracts, along with Mirion Technologies, BWXT Canada, Teledyne Brown Engineering, Marmen, Thermal Engineering International USA, Jensen Hughes, Boston Government Services, James Fisher Technologies, KROHNE Nuclear, and Valserve. The contracts cover equipment for the plant itself and for a first-of-a-kind sodium test and fill facility under construction on the same site.

Natrium pairs a 345 MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt energy storage system. The storage element allows the plant to lift output temporarily to 500 MWe, giving it the ability to follow daily load swings on the grid and operate alongside variable renewable generation. The technology comes from TerraPower working with GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy.

Non-nuclear construction at Kemmerer began in June 2024, and TerraPower expects to complete the plant in 2030. The project advances through the Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. The company has secured all long-lead items for the build along with the entire Natrium reactor enclosure system.

Beyond the first unit, TerraPower holds an agreement with Meta covering up to eight Natrium plants by 2035. The company also signed agreements last month with Hyundai in South Korea, widening its manufacturing and engineering base as it prepares for a multi-unit deployment program through the coming decade.

Source: World Nuclear News - https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/terrapower-selects-more-suppliers-for-natrium-components