Nuclear power in the United States is a controversial pick for energy generation. Despite these energy generation facilities having a better safety record than any other form of power generation, serious incidents such as Chernobyl and Fukushima have put a strain on the popular opinion of many Americans. But these fears may be alleviated soon in Wyoming, as TerraPower, an American energy corporation run by Bill Gates, is currently constructing the 345-MW “Natrium” Reactor in the eastern portion of the state, and it promises to be the safest form of nuclear power ever put on the market.
The most novel thing about the Natrium Reactor is its design type. Known as a “Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor,” the system is comprised of a fast neutron reactor cooled by tanks of liquid sodium. This design presents several advantages: Firstly, and arguably most importantly, they produce significantly less nuclear waste than the current generation of water-based reactors. This is because fast neutrons have a much higher chance of creating fission, which leads to a massive decrease in the presence of transuranic waste.
In addition to this, the sodium-cooling aspect of the reactor provides another interesting benefit. Because the element has a far higher temperature range than water, which is ordinarily used for cooling in reactors, it allows the reactors to have a large reservoir of heat capacity, while also keeping very high safety margins. It also allows the plant to operate at a much lower pressure, and to cool off more naturally than its water counterparts, allowing for much simpler operation with increased safety.
When asked their thoughts on the matter, students at the University of Wyoming had a variety of responses, but most were generally positive. One student, Abby, stated her opinion on the construction; “I think that this is gonna be a really good step for Wyoming . . . A lot of people talk about wanting to go carbon neutral in the future and stop global warming, but don’t realize that the solution is . . . already here. I think that nuclear power is probably going to replace all forms of electricity in the future I bet. It’s weird that more people aren’t more in favor of it.”
Not all students were entirely in favor of the project, however. Maxwell, an economics major, stated, “Well, I think it’s good that we’re building new power infrastructure here in Wyoming, but I don’t know if I want Bill Gates getting more involved in the state.” When questioned if he was pro-nuclear as a whole, he said, “Yeah, I’m all on board for nuclear power, I just think we need to be really careful about who we’re letting do it. Another billionaire coming into Wyoming and using us as basically a testing ground sorta feels wrong, I feel like the project should probably be more government funded.”
Regardless of personal opinions on the matter, what is certain is that the project, along with others, is pushing nuclear energy back into the national conversation. Whether this shift in perception remains an outlier in the country has yet to be seen, but for now, Wyoming is seemingly at the forefront of what could be a new chapter in American power generation.
