TerraPower, LLC -- Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1 Application

Rendering of TerraPower LLC Natrium facility
Who:   US SFR Owner, LLC (TerraPower, LLC subsidiary)
What:   Application for a construction permit for an advanced power reactor
When:   March 28, 2024 (date of application submittal) 
Where:   Lincoln County, Wyoming
Website:   https://natriumpower.com/

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Project Overview

The staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is currently engaged in review activities for the construction permit application from TerraPower, LLC (TerraPower), on behalf of US SFR Owner, LLC (USO), a wholly owned subsidiary of TerraPower, for Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1 (Kemmerer Unit 1) to be located in Lincoln County, Wyoming. The Kemmerer Unit 1 project is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration program and would be used to demonstrate the TerraPower and General Electric-Hitachi Natrium sodium fast reactor technology.

Plant Characteristics Description
Reactor Type Pool-type sodium fast reactor
Containment Type Functional containment (see SECY-18-0096 for a description of functional containment)
Power Level 840 megawatts thermal
Fuel Metallic uranium-zirconium (U-10Zr) HALEU fuel column with a sodium bond to HT9 cladding
Balance of Plant The balance-of-plant (BOP) systems proposed for Kemmerer Unit 1 are like those used in the current fleet of light-water reactors (LWRs), with the exception of the molten salt tanks which can be used as an energy storage feature. The Kemmerer Unit 1 design includes a condensate and feed system, a steam generating system, heat rejection system, circulation water, mechanical draft cooling tower, and a steam turbine. As noted above, the primary difference between a traditional LWR BOP and the Kemmerer Unit 1 BOP is that heat for steam and electric power generation is provided by the molten salt storage tank system and is largely independent of the reactor.

Key Milestones

Milestones Completion Date
Actual - A
Target - T
Application Tendered 03/28/2024 - A
Acceptance Review
Acceptance Review Start 04/10/2024 - A
Docketing Decision Letter Issued/Acceptance Review Complete TBD
Review Schedule Established/Schedule Letter Issued to Applicant TBD
Safety Review
Draft Safety Evaluation – Safety Evaluation sections drafted, and information gaps identified TBD
Safety Evaluation Completion – Additional information requested and evaluated.  Audits complete.  Safety evaluation sections updated. TBD
Advanced Safety Evaluation – Safety evaluation sections completed and assembled. TBD
Safety Evaluation Approval – NRC management and legal review complete. TBD
ACRS Review of Safety Evaluation – Advisory Committee for Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) meetings and review complete.* TBD
Final Safety Evaluation – Final Safety Evaluation updated and issued. TBD
Environmental Review
Environmental Scoping – Scoping activities completed, and Scoping Summary Report issued. TBD
Initial Draft of DEIS Sections – Environmental Report audit completed; Technical Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) sections completed with open items on track for resolution. TBD
Complete DEIS Sections – Early legal review of DEIS sections completed; Open items resolved. TBD
Finalize DEIS and Related Activities – NRC management and final legal review of the consolidated DEIS and associated correspondence completed.  Publication and issuance activities completed. TBD
Comment Responses and FEIS – Comment period on the DEIS; staff responses to public comments completed and the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) prepared. TBD
Finalize FEIS and Related Activities – NRC management and attorney review of FEIS and associated correspondence completed.  Publication and issuance activities completed. TBD
Hearing TBD
Construction Permit Decision TBD

* The review team will begin interacting with the ACRS subcommittee as soon as portions of the safety evaluation can be made available to the public. When the advanced safety evaluation is approved by NRC staff managers, it is promptly provided to the ACRS for subcommittee and full committee review and ACRS may write a letter to the staff commenting on the evaluation.

Contacts

Contacts for Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1
Safety Project Managers Mallecia Sutton
301-415-0673

Stephanie Devlin-Gill
301-415-5301
Environmental Project Managers Patricia Vokoun
301-415-6703

Joe O’Hara
301-415-6854
Public Affairs Officer Scott Burnell
301-415-8204