The town of Kemmerer, Wyo., has been selected to be the site of an experimental new nuclear power plant.
TerraPower announced on Tuesday it had chosen Kemmerer as the preferred site for its Natrium reactor demonstration project. The experimental type of nuclear reactor uses salt-cooled reactors.
TerraPower, a company co-founded by Bill Gates, is partnering with Rocky Mountain Power on the experiment. If successful, it could benefit Utah, which gets some of its electricity from Wyoming.
"This project is an exciting opportunity to explore what could be the next generation of clean, reliable, affordable energy production while providing a path to transition for Wyoming’s energy economy, communities and employees,” Rocky Mountain Power CEO Gary Hoogeveen said in a statement.
TerraPower said approximately 2,000 workers will be needed for construction on the project and once the plant becomes operational, it will employ around 250 people.
While the project is in Wyoming, Governor Spencer Cox previously told FOX 13 that he would consider bringing the new type of reactor to Utah if it is successful. But nuclear power in Utah has faced some strong opposition.
