TerraPower

Stories

America's unbuilt reactors

As of May 2026: NRC construction permit issued March 4, 2026; construction commenced April 23 at Kemmerer, Wyoming with Bechtel as EPC contractor

On March 4, 2026, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a construction permit for TerraPower's Natrium reactor at Kemmerer, Wyoming—the first permit for a commercial non-light-water reactor in more than 40 years. TerraPower broke ground on April 23 with Bechtel as general contractor, making Kemmerer the first utility-scale advanced nuclear plant under active construction in the US.

Updated May 31

AI data centers are rebuilding – and stress-testing – the U.S. power grid

Built World

As of May 2026: Signed multi-project nuclear agreement with Meta for projects starting 2032

Since late 2022, U.S. regulators and utilities have warned that AI-optimized data centers could reshape national power demand, ending an era of flat electricity consumption and forcing rapid buildout of generation and transmission. By early 2026, those warnings have crystallized into concrete challenges. PJM Interconnection's December 2025 capacity auction hit the $333.44/MW-day price cap and failed to meet reliability requirements for the first time in its history. Data centers accounted for $6.5 billion—or 40%—of the auction's $16.4 billion in costs.

Updated May 10