WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) applauded the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for approving the construction permit for TerraPower’s groundbreaking nuclear reactor facility in Kemmerer, Wyoming. This permit allows TerraPower to start building the advanced, sodium-cooled nuclear reactor on a site near an existing coal-fired power plant in Kemmerer.

“Wyoming is the energy capital of America. We are also the number one producer of uranium in the country,” said Senator Barrasso. “That’s why Wyoming is the right place to build modern nuclear energy infrastructure that provides safe, affordable, and reliable energy. This groundbreaking project is another way to help diversify Wyoming’s already strong energy economy.”

Background

Nuclear power is America’s largest source of carbon-free energy, supplying nearly 20 percent of the nation’s electricity. Wyoming is the largest producer of uranium in the country, holding the highest known reserves and significant production, including through the Powder River Basin.

The NRC received TerraPower’s application for a sodium-cooled, advanced reactor design plant in Kemmerer in May 2024. In December 2025, the NRC staff submitted a statement in support of the Commission approving the issuance of a construction permit.

In 2024, Senator Barrasso introduced the Reduce Russian Uranium Imports Act, legislation which prohibited the importation of unirradiated low-enriched uranium that is produced in Russia or by a Russian entity into the United States. The bill was signed into law in May 2024.

In 2023, Senator Barrasso’s legislation, the Nuclear Fuel Security Act, was signed into law as part of the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill directs the Department of Energy to prioritize activities to increase the domestic production of low-enriched uranium (LEU) for existing reactors and accelerate efforts to ensure the availability of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) for advanced reactors.

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