"TerraPower, a start-up founded by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, is set to build a new kind of nuclear power plant in Wyoming"
"TerraPower, a Bill Gates–backed nuclear power start-up, received the federal green light to start building a power plant in Wyoming. The approval paves the way for the first new commercial nuclear reactor in the U.S. in nearly a decade.
On Wednesday the Nuclear Regulatory Commission unanimously voted in favor of TerraPower’s construction permit.
The start-up hopes to build smaller, more advanced nuclear reactors that the company says will help support the transition to clean energy from fossil fuels. Known as the Natrium plant, the reactor is not expected to come online until at least 2031.
Chris Levesque, TerraPower’s chief executive officer, said in a statement that the approval marked a “historic day for the United States nuclear industry.”"
Claire Cameron reports for Scientific American March 4, 2026.
