HOUSTON—TerraPower, a nuclear energy company founded by American billionaire Bill Gates, has announced a partnership with engineering solutions firm KBR Inc. to deploy its Natrium-based small modular reactor (SMR) technology to energy markets around the world.

TerraPower said, “Natrium technology is the first-mover in the advanced reactor sector and is well positioned to support the exploding energy demand for data centers.”

Specifically, the Natrium nuclear reactor uses liquid sodium as a coolant instead of traditional water, thus, allowing it to operate at higher temperatures with greater efficiency; and one of its unique feature is integration with molten salt energy storage solution; and that system can store excess heat generated during the reactor's operation, which can then be used to produce electricity during periods of high demand or when the reactor is not actively producing power.

So far, TerraPower’s Natrium reactor is the first advanced nuclear technology granted a construction permit application for commercial deployment by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Its pilot plant is being developed as a public-private partnership (PPP) initiative with the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP).

“That project is expected to be online in 2030 and will be the first commercial, utility-scale advanced nuclear power plant in the United States,” the company stressed.

Following the targeted commercialization of the Natrium reactor in the US, the Gates-led nuclear firm plans to expand installations across markets in North America, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Asia.

According to TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque, their agreement with KBR “will build greater certainty into the Natrium technology’s supply chain, project management and overall business model.”

He emphasized that next-generation reactors, like the Natrium technology with storage solution option, “are a critical energy resource for grids that are increasingly in need of reliable power from clean, baseload energy sources.”

It was further noted that the TerraPower-KBR deal will enable the establishment of a replicable contracting framework that can speed up the deployment of Natrium nuclear reactors across markets globally—and this can be done in a way that financial risks will be reduced, while also guaranteeing cost transparency—and their target markets will be power utilities and prospective industrial off-takers (energy capacity buyers).

Under the agreed business model, TerraPower will lead efforts on engineering, research and development, supply chain, and regulatory activities, while KBR will provide engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) management services, including design, commissioning, and financial packaging for project developments.

KBR President for Sustainable Technology Solutions Jay Ibrahim highlighted that “by combining KBR's proven program management and project delivery capabilities and TerraPower’s expertise in advanced nuclear technology; this collaboration aims to deliver cost-effective, scalable energy solutions for clients globally.”

At this stage, the two firms indicated that their newly cemented alliance will “support planning and strategy for early project development and site characterization activities, as well as communication strategies for governmental cooperation to promote Natrium on a global scale.”