TerraPower

TerraPower is an energy technology company focused on advanced nuclear energy and radioisotope applications. Its stated aim is to develop technologies that provide safe, affordable and abundant carbon-free energy, while using heat and electricity to support economic growth and decarbonize industry. The company also develops processes to extract radioisotopes for use in cancer treatments. The company was founded by Bill Gates and a group of like-minded visionaries who believed the private sector should help develop advanced nuclear energy to meet growing electricity needs and address climate change. TerraPower describes its work as combining technical and engineering expertise with experience in nuclear projects and building organizations to address large-scale challenges. Its principal energy project is Natrium, an advanced nuclear plant concept that combines a 345-megawatt sodium fast reactor with a molten-salt energy storage system. The storage component is designed to make the plant more flexible in responding to grid needs, including grids with substantial variable renewable generation. TerraPower says the technology uses liquid sodium to transfer heat and is designed to operate at low pressure. The company is building its first Natrium plant near a retiring coal facility in Kemmerer, Wyoming, through a public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. The project also includes supporting fuel fabrication and sodium testing facilities. Beyond power generation, TerraPower’s stated activities include isotope-related technologies intended for medical applications. The company is active and presents its work as part of the transition toward reliable, lower-carbon energy and industrial processes. The supplied sources identify Bill Gates as chairman of the board and list Chris Levesque as president and CEO. They do not identify TerraPower’s headquarters, current ownership structure, or the full markets in which it operates.

TerraPower was founded by Bill Gates and a group of like-minded visionaries who saw a role for private-sector involvement in developing advanced nuclear energy. The founding rationale, as described by the company, was to help meet rising electricity demand, mitigate climate change and contribute to broader economic development. TerraPower presents its work as an effort to apply advances in technology and computing to nuclear energy and related applications. The company’s activities span energy technologies and radioisotope applications. In energy, its central project is Natrium, developed as a sodium fast reactor paired with a molten-salt energy storage system. TerraPower describes the design as a flexible, low-pressure alternative to conventional light-water reactor approaches, with stored energy intended to help balance variable generation and grid demand. Its stated design figures include a 345-megawatt reactor and storage capability intended to support dispatchable power. TerraPower’s first Natrium plant is under construction near a retiring coal facility in Kemmerer, Wyoming. The company is undertaking the project with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program as a public-private partnership. The project includes not only the demonstration plant but also supporting facilities for fuel fabrication and sodium testing. TerraPower says the site was chosen following an evaluation of four finalist communities in Wyoming, considering local support, site characteristics, licensing prospects, infrastructure and grid needs. The company describes the project as an opportunity for the local energy-producing community and estimates that construction and future operations will support a substantial local workforce. Alongside its energy work, TerraPower develops processes to extract radioisotopes for medical use, including applications in cancer treatment. The company’s website identifies TerraPower Isotopes as a business unit and names its president and senior vice president. The supplied material does not detail specific isotope products, commercial availability or treatment partnerships. TerraPower’s current leadership page names Bill Gates as board chairman and Chris Levesque as president and CEO, alongside executives responsible for finance, legal affairs, technical work and TerraPower Isotopes. The available sources establish the company’s current project and stated areas of activity, but do not provide its headquarters, detailed ownership structure, or a full chronology of corporate events.

• 2006

  TerraPower founded

• First Natrium plant begins construction in Wyoming

An advanced nuclear energy and isotopes innovator focused on carbon-free power, grid flexibility, industrial decarbonization and medical applications.

• Natrium

  An advanced nuclear plant concept combining a 345-megawatt sodium fast reactor with a molten-salt energy storage system.

• TerraPower Isotopes

  The company’s isotope business, which develops processes to extract radioisotopes for medical applications including cancer treatment.

• Selected Kemmerer, Wyoming, for the first Natrium plantOther

1. 1TerraPower | Natrium Nuclear Energy | Isotopes Cancer Treatmentterrapower.com
2. 2About TerraPowerterrapower.com
3. 3TerraPower Natrium | Advanced Nuclear Energyterrapower.com
4. 4Wyoming Nuclear Energy Milestonesterrapower.com
5. 5Radiopharm Theranostics partners with nuclear innovation company on next gen cancer treatmentsproactiveinvestors.com.au