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Dive brief:
- Bechtel, based in Reston, Va., recently started in Kemmerer, Wyoming advanced nuclear reactor which uses sodium instead of water as a coolant, according to a June 10 news release from the contractor.
- Bechtel is the engineering, procurement and construction partner on the job, known as the Natrium Demonstration Project, for Bellevue, Washington-based TerraPower. The company, which is chaired by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, specializes in nuclear energy technology.
- The Associated Press reported in 2024 that cost to build Natrium it would be up to $4 billion.
Diving knowledge:
To begin with, the Natrium build will be limited to non-nuclear features. Work will move forward once the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission approve the TerraPower permit for facility design, according to Utility Dive.
At its peak, TerraPower claims the work will be they require 1,600 workers and span five years, resulting in an eventual operation date of 2029.
What sets Natrium apart from traditional nuclear power plants is the way it will keep reactor temperatures under control: the facility will use sodium-based technology to cool the reactor instead of water, which uses most of the nuclear facilitiesaccording to the Department of Energy.
Liquid sodium has a much higher boiling point than water at 882 degrees Celsius, compared to water’s 100 degrees Celsius mark, according to the American Nuclear Society. However, the society also noted that liquid sodium has an explosive reaction if it comes into contact with water.
However, TerraPower and Bechtel have characterized the technology as safer than traditional water-cooled designs. With this system, Bechtel claims the facility can provide clean, baseload operation at 345 megawatts with the ability to flex up to 500 megawatts, according to the release. This can generate enough energy to power 400,000 homes.
Bechtel, which is the third largest contractor by revenue in the US, according to the Engineering News-Record list of the nation’s top builders, it finished a $30 billion nuclear plant in GeorgiaVogtle Unit 3, in July 2023. Also got a contract to work there $12 billion Rio Grande next decade LNG project in Brownsville, Texas this month.
However, the company has also faced bumps in the road. In April 2023, an energy subsidiary owned by Bechtel called Renovo Energy Co. canceled plans for one $1 billion combined cycle power plant in central Pennsylvania. These types of plants are used both gas and steam turbines to generate power, according to the Tennessee Valley Authority.
