Billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are backing a new nuclear power plant near Kemmerer, Wyoming, a project receiving $2 billion in taxpayer assistance. This first-of-its-kind small-scale reactor is designed for quicker construction and operation than traditional plants. TerraPower's Natrium project aims to begin generating electricity within the next four years, part of a broader push to diversify the U.S. energy economy.
Thousands of construction workers are arriving in the remote area, providing a temporary boost to local businesses like Fossil Fuel Coffee Co., the Super 8 motel, and Scroungy Moose Pizza. This influx occurs as local coal mines face closure, leaving few other well-paying jobs available. Some residents remain deeply skeptical of the nuclear project and the wealthy men behind it, while others express optimism for the economic activity.
Public Funds, Private Profit
TerraPower describes the Natrium reactor as a significant public-private partnership, with the company and taxpayers contributing equally. Charlotte Sherbeyn, 59, questioned why billionaires like Gates require public funding for such ventures. "He only cares about him. It’s just a dollar sign to him," Sherbeyn stated. TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque announced plans to build "more than a hundred of these things around the world," indicating a global expansion strategy for the new nuclear era.
Wyoming itself holds large uranium deposits, which state leaders hope will power reactors nationwide. The Natrium reactor utilizes a more concentrated, refined uranium fuel. This secures a domestic resource base for the expanding industry. Buffett's PacifiCorp, which owns several coal-fired power plants, serves 2.1 million customers across six western states, demonstrating capital's fluidity between energy sectors.
The State's Hand in Capital's Game
The Trump administration has actively promoted this nuclear expansion, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright declaring an "America's nuclear renaissance." Wright asserted that advanced nuclear technologies "will help power the next generation of American industry, strengthen our energy security, and ensure the United States remains the world’s nuclear innovation leader." Four other small-scale test nuclear reactors recently demonstrated success at the Idaho National Laboratory, meeting a July 4 deadline set by Trump to mark the country's 250th birthday.
Edwin Lyman, a physicist and director of nuclear power safety for the Union of Concerned Scientists, challenged the motivations behind this push. "My No. 1 concern is that this push is not being inspired by genuine innovation in nuclear power or any perceived interest in nuclear power by the public," Lyman said. He added, "It's being driven by ideology that somehow nuclear power hasn't gotten its due, and that's because the government has been over-regulating it, that the dangers have been overstated, and that's what's been holding it back." Lyman criticized the industry's poor track record, stating, "they blame everyone else for their own poor performance. And, unfortunately, those issues are being overlooked in this new political push for nuclear power."
Boom, Bust, and the Workers' Burden
The project promises approximately 1,600 temporary construction jobs, which will eventually give way to only 300 permanent positions for running the power plant, according to Natrium. Michelle Pollard, 61, a Kemmerer coal mine employee for 35 years, acknowledged the need to "change with the times" and welcomed the project. She has since opened a soda shop, "3 ZERO 7 Place," after going part-time at the mine. Pollard noted, "Kemmerer is kind of used to boom and bust. You can't have growth without some short-term pain."
Janet Lively, 41, assistant manager at Fossil Fuel Coffee Co., observed the community is "split. You’re either opposed to it or in favor." Sherbeyn, while welcoming the promised economic boom, worried about a nuclear meltdown given the local geology and the Yellowstone Caldera 260 miles north. "If that blows up," she said, "we’re done." The site is located just outside Kemmerer, a town historically built on coal, which still powers a significant portion of Wyoming's economy. About 4% of all jobs are directly or indirectly linked to coal mining. Wyoming exports 60% of the electricity it generates, while its own workers face the precarity of capital's shifting investments.