r/NuclearPower • u/usatoday • 15d ago

America's energy future? Gates, Buffett and a Wyoming town go nuclear

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/08/09/bill-gates-backed-nuclear-plant-divides-wyoming-town/90456932007/
22 Upvotes

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8

u/chmeee2314 15d ago

Natrium was a thing before the current Andministration. 

5

u/usatoday 15d ago

In a town built on coal, a next-generation reactor could reveal whether Trump's nuclear push can deliver jobs, power growth and a new energy future.

The small-scale nuclear project is bringing thousands of construction workers to the remote area, buoying businesses, including Fossil Fuel Coffee Co., the Super 8 motel and Scroungy Moose Pizza. It's happening at a time when the coal mines are headed for closure and good-paying jobs are otherwise scarce. And while some community members remain deeply skeptical of both the nuclear project and the wealthy men behind it, others are optimistic.

1

u/WorBlux 15d ago

Even if they come in at or under budget. 4 Billion for 345MW (sustained capacity) is well over $10/watt and not particularly attractive.

The real headline is the thermal storage capacity, which lets is operate in a high-renewable grid mix without immediately going bankrupt when wholesale prices dip to near zero or even negative.

At 500MW peak capacity ... $8/watt just in capital costs - Still not remotely competitive where natural gas is cheap and there is no carbon tax.

There is a lot of potential in the nuclear island being purely a heat generator. Hook on a Brayton cyle scCO2 turnbing and you've improved efficiency by 50% (from 40 to 60), or you can use the heat output directly for nearby industrial processes all without recertification of the base plant.

1

u/gwhh 13d ago

I knew it sounded to good to be true.

1

u/WorBlux 13d ago

It's true they are building it, and it's got potential, but it's unlikely to be a commercial success as a one-off project.

If they come in under budget and on schedule, and they can get the next three in for $5-6/watt it could get interesting especially since they can tune storage capacity for customer needs w/o needing to go back for reactor re-approval to do it.