TerraPower, a nuclear innovation company, announced recently the selection of three supplier awards to support its first Natrium plant in Kemmerer. These awards complete the procurement selection for long lead items for the United States’ first commercial advanced nuclear power plant.

The Natrium Reactor Demonstration Project is currently under construction in Kemmerer, and is the first advanced reactor project in the western hemisphere to move from design into construction.

As part of the efforts to bring a new reactor online, TerraPower is investing in the re-establishment of a resilient and sustainable domestic supply chain, fostering innovation and economic growth across the nation. In addition to the three suppliers announced today, TerraPower has awarded over a dozen contracts to secure long-lead procurements. The completion of these procurement contracts supports the Natrium project development timeline and ensures the U.S. manufacturing supply chain is ready to meet the demands of exponential growth in advanced nuclear production.

“TerraPower is the first company making major procurement selections for the next generation of nuclear power,” said Chris Levesque, TerraPower President and CEO. “Today’s awards, in addition to all the procurements awarded over the last 18 months, align us with experienced suppliers who are committed to bringing the first Natrium reactor and energy storage system to market.”

Supplier awards include:

• James Fisher Technologies: James Fisher Technologies (JFT), headquartered in Loveland, CO, will design and fabricate the Sodium Cover Gas (SCG) and Test and Fill Facility (TFF) Filter Skids. The SCG and TFF Filter skids are comprised of special application equipment in addition to standard components used within radioactive gas processing systems in the nuclear industry. The primary functions of the filter skids are to house and support vapor traps, cesium and various aerosol filters and to align and isolate gas streams in the appropriate exhaust systems.

• Mirion Technologies, Inc: Mirion Technologies, Inc, headquartered in Atlanta, GA, has been selected to supply the Radiation Monitoring System (RMS) and the Nuclear Instrumentation System (XIS). The RMS is comprised of area, effluent and process radiation monitors that monitor plant radiation levels. XIS provides instrumentation and detection of reactor power levels.

• Curtiss-Wright: Curtiss-Wright, headquartered in North Carolina, has been selected for two awards; to design and deliver the Training Simulator (TSN) and to supply the Distributed Control Systems (DCS) for the Natrium reactor. The TSN is a full-scope simulator that will replicate plant equipment and accurately simulate system conditions and operations to support operator training and licensing. It will be housed in the Kemmerer Training Center. The DCS is a digital platform that serves as a core component for automating control and operation of plant processes. Curtiss-Wright will develop two separate control systems for the plant: the Nuclear Island Control system (NIC) and Energy Island Control system (EIC).

The Natrium technology features a 345 MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system. The storage technology can boost the system’s output to 500 MWe for more than five and a half hours when needed. This innovative addition allows a Natrium plant to integrate seamlessly with renewable resources and leads to faster, more cost-effective decarbonization of the electric grid while producing dispatchable carbon-free energy.

Future request for proposal opportunities for the Natrium Reactor Demonstration Project can be found on TerraPower’s website: https://www.terrapower.com/suppliers/.