TerraPower’s nuclear reactor demonstration, funded by Bill Gates, has been delayed by at least two years due to Russia’s sole source of fuel. This was reported by the TV channel. CNBC.
“Russia had the only commercial source of high-grade, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) and is no longer a viable part of the supply chain for TerraPower and other companies in our industry,” said Chris Levesque, TerraPower CEO.
The company was planning to complete the construction of the first reactor in Kemmerer, Wyoming, USA. According to the plans, they wanted to fully launch the nuclear plant by 2028. But now the company has revised the terms for putting the business into operation.
“Given the current lack of fuel and the freezing of construction of new plants, TerraPower expects a delay of at least two years in commissioning the Natrium reactor,” added Levesque.
According to CNBC, the US does not have the enrichment capacity to supply fuel at the Russian level. For the initial loading of the reactor core, it was planned to use Russian fuel.
It was previously reported that billionaires Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. investment $145 million to Synchron, a startup that develops brain-computer interfaces.