KEMMERER — Representatives from TerraPower, owners of the Natrium nuclear reactor plant to be built near Kemmerer, met privately with major stakeholders in Lincoln County on Wednesday, Jan. 19. Following that meeting, they held a short press conference and a subsequent luncheon open to the general public at the Best Western Fossil Country Inn.

TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque, Senior Vice President of Program Development and Natrium Project Director Tara Neider, Pacificorp Vice President of Nuclear Operations Chuck Tack and TerraPower Director of External Affairs Jeff Navin all attended the Kemmerer meeting and answered questions. Also attending and responding to questions was Rita Meyer, CEO of Wyoming Energy Futures.

“Currently, we are drilling soil bores at the site which is located several miles outside of Kemmerer and across the highway from the Naughton Plant,” Levesque said. “We are going down 500 years into the ground to determine if the area will provide a safe foundation for the nuclear reactor. These samples will be sent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and we will wait for their response. We need their permit and license before we can start construction.”

The NRC response is traditionally slow, Levesque said, but Sens. John Barraso and Cynthia Lummis are very supportive of the project and, through the Nuclear Energy Initiative Act, they are pushing for the commission to work more quickly and efficiently. Levesque said University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel, an accomplished scientist, is also very much in favor of the project and is hoping to add courses in advanced nuclear energy at the university. 

Officials were faced with questions concerning training of existing workers from the Naughton Plant; who would be financially responsible if the plant is a failure or goes over budget; the cost of the advanced Natrium plant versus traditional nuclear plants; and the lack of housing in the area for construction workers.

Each of the representatives provided similar answers and information both to the press and to the public.

“We chose Wyoming because people here have a high energy IQ,” Levesque said, “and because the communities in Wyoming reached out to us. There is great interest across the international community for this project.”

TerraPower maintains that the advanced Natrium nuclear reactor will ultimately be less expensive to build and operate based on its unique design. The Kemmerer project is the first of its kind and involved 800 design experts. For future Natrium plants, much of that cost will not have to be repeated. Levesque said they have a large federal grant that will help pay for the project and they have grants coming from the U.S. Department of Commerce and from the U.S. Department of Energy.

“The flexibility of the Natrium nuclear plant to use and maximize other renewables is an enormous benefit,” Levesque said. “When wind is low, nuclear will take over and when wind is high, the reactor will store energy for later use.”

As far as liability goes, he said TerraPower takes all of the risks. He said there has been no Wyoming state investment in the project, so taxpayers are not liable. As to a concern about the rate charges, Levesque said the rate fee is not based on the cost of the plant and they are confident the rates will be low as they work closely with Rocky Mountain Power. 

Many concerns of the audience revolved around the effects on the community of a large influx of people during the construction phase. Those concerns came from a variety of sources: the sheriff’s office, fire and ambulance, schools, business leaders and public works employees.

“The construction phase of the project will not begin until 2024,” Neider said, “so the community has a lot of time to prepare. The construction company is working closely with us, and I’m not sure at this time if temporary housing is part of their plan. But you have time to work together as a community to bring in developers for housing. People already working at the site are staying at the Best Western, which has had a positive effect on the community.”

Meyer told the audience, “We will be hosting a vendor day on Feb. 9, to meet with local businesses for a discussion on how they can benefit from this project.”

When pressed on how many people will come and exactly when, Neider said approximately 40 outside workers will be in town this year, with more next year; but the bulk of the influx will be felt in 2025.

She said that the timeline is totally based on when they receive a response from the NRC. TerraPower has to receive a construction license based on the safety analysis report. NRC personnel have currently been watching the drilling for soil bores, she said.

Neider, who is in charge of the entire project, continued to provide numbers stating that they will hire 300 engineers initially and that number will double in 2024. They are on a seven-year schedule from the beginning of negotiations. This year, they are working with the NRC to finish the requirements for the design license.

The next requirement will be to get the building license from  the NRC, so construction will not start until 2024. They also have to get permits from state agencies: Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Neider said the plant will not begin to operate until 2027.

In response to concerns about water usage, Levesque said the nuclear plant will use less or relatively the same amount of water as the coal plant. The Natrium nuclear reactor has an advanced technology air cooling system that doesn’t require a pump or water to cool. During construction, they will haul water to the site.

The impact on the community water and sewer systems from the influx of population will be something that leaders will have to address. Levesque reminded them the federal government has already passed a bill to help states and communities with infrastructure. 

As far as roads and streets are concerned, TerraPower representatives stated they have already met with WYDOT concerning road blocks and signage during construction.

In answer to a concern from local law enforcement, Levesque said law enforcement and emergency services should probably look at increasing their staff based simply on the results of an influx of population.

TerraPower representatives said they are working closely with community leadership to plan and coordinate response efforts; however, Tack said they will have their own fire response team and all employees will have safety training and participate in regular fire drills. Neider added that nuclear energy is very procedural, and part of the design is an emergency planning dome and detailed plan for emergencies. 

As to the concerns around employment opportunities for the Naughton Plant workers, officials said their response has been consistent — they will provide training for the workers and that transfer of workers to the nuclear plant will happen. They added that they have 2.5 years to put training in place and they are currently working on an ongoing on-site training plan. 

“Besides specialized operation personnel who may come from outside,” Tack said, “others can be cross-trained easily. We can qualify at least half of the 200 to 250 workers from existing personnel at the Naughton Plant. There will be lots of employment opportunities for local workforce — security, electricians and more.”

Concerning the safety of nuclear reactors in general, TerraPower representatives said that education in nuclear safety is very important and asked for help on educating young people and others as to its safety. Former military personnel in the audience responded that when they were in the service they had worked around nuclear energy and felt very safe. 

“From my personal experience with nuclear energy,” Tack said, “I love nuclear. I find it very safe, and I fully support it. People just need to be educated about it.”

Concluding the meeting, Levesque said, “We are invested in your community, the state of Wyoming and in national security. We look forward to continuing to work together.”