Aug 25, 11:37 PM

Utah Teams With Gates-Backed TerraPower to Scout New Nuclear Reactor Sites

Utah has entered into an agreement with Bill Gates-backed TerraPower to evaluate potential sites for an advanced nuclear reactor, Governor Spencer Cox said in a joint Bloomberg Television appearance with TerraPower Chief Executive Officer Chris Levesque. Cox warned that a single data-center campus in the state could require as much as four gigawatts of electricity, underscoring the need for new zero-carbon capacity. TerraPower, which is developing Generation IV reactor technology, will work with state officials on feasibility studies and regulatory planning. Corporate demand for carbon-free baseload energy is also deepening: Google on Monday announced what it called the first U.S. deal to procure power from a Generation IV nuclear project for its data centers. The company did not disclose financial terms but said the agreement would support its goal of running all operations on clean energy around the clock. In a related supply-chain move, Centrus Energy signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and POSCO International that could lead to South Korean investment in expanding Centrus’s uranium-enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio. The partners said the expansion would help meet rising U.S. demand for domestically produced enriched uranium; Centrus is seeking federal funding to scale up the facility amid efforts to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.