Nuclear

U.S. Issues First Commercial Construction Permit for a Nuclear Reactor in Years

The commission granted the permit Wednesday for a Bill Gates-backed company to build a sodium-cooled nuclear reactor in western Wyoming.

Associated Press

Associated Press

— 2 min read
U.S. Issues First Commercial Construction Permit for a Nuclear Reactor in Years
Photo of former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates from Sept. 2025, by Alex Brandon/AP

March 5, 2026 (AP) – The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday approved its first construction permit for a commercial nuclear reactor in eight years, one that will allow a Bill Gates-backed company to build a sodium-cooled reactor in western Wyoming.

TerraPower filed for the permit in 2024 and construction is now set to begin within weeks. Completion of the up to $4 billion plant is targeted for 2030, according to TerraPower. Microsoft co-founder Gates, who is eyeing nuclear generation as a power source for the electricity-hungry data centers behind artificial intelligence, is a founder of TerraPower and its primary investor.

“We have spent thousands of manpower hours working to achieve this momentous accomplishment,” TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque said in a statement.

Post tagged in
Nuclear Energy Wyoming NRC Bill Gates TerraPower Microsoft Chris Levesque Chris Wright Doug Burgum New Mexico Texas

Read more

Popular Tags

AST SpaceMobile Gets Green Light for Direct-to-Device Testing FCC Broadband Breakfast on August 19, 2026 – 150 Years of American Telecommunications: The Online Course Broadband's Impact Mark Vasconi: A Growing Reality Check for BEAD BEAD BEAD Weariness and AI Ambition Collide at Mountain Connect NTIA Wichita Internet Exchange Point Set to Begin Operations in Coming Weeks Infrastructure AST SpaceMobile Gets Green Light for Direct-to-Device Testing AT&T