TerraPower selects more suppliers for Natrium components

The awards include work for Merrick & Company (two contracts), Mirion Technologies Inc, BWXT Canada Ltd, Teledyne Brown Engineering Inc, Marmen Inc, Thermal Engineering International (USA) Inc, Jensen Hughes, Boston Government Services LLC, James Fisher Technologies LLC, KROHNE Nuclear, and Valserve.

TerraPower's Natrium technology features a 345 MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system. The storage technology can temporarily boost the system's output to 500 MWe when needed, enabling the plant to follow daily electric load changes and integrate seamlessly with fluctuating renewable resources. TerraPower began non-nuclear construction for its first Natrium plant, in Kemmerer, in June 2024, and expects construction of the plant - which it says will be the first commercial-scale, advanced nuclear project in the USA - to be complete in 2030. The first Natrium project is being developed through the US Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. The Natrium reactor is a TerraPower and GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy technology.

TerraPower has already secured all the long-lead items for the project as well as the entire Natrium reactor enclosure system.

In addition to the first Natrium plant under construction, TerraPower has an agreement with Facebook and Instagram owner Meta for up to eight Natrium plants by 2035.

"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," TerraPower said. "Through these award selections for the first Natrium plant, TerraPower is establishing a resilient and sustainable supply chain to bring a fleet of Natrium reactors online in the coming decade.

"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."

Pat Young, senior vice president and Natrium project director at TerraPower, added: "Securing supplier contracts is fundamental to establishing the resilient and sustainable supply chain needed to build advanced nuclear plants. 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."

Last month, TerraPower signed agreements with South Korea's Hyundai Engineering & Construction (HDEC) and SK Innovation to develop and commercialise its Natrium reactor technology across the USA, Korea and select international markets. The agreements were signed in Seoul during the first meeting among the top executives of the three companies since HD Hyundai, TerraPower and HDEC signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding in May to cooperate on next-generation sodium reactor projects.