(Bloomberg) —
Utah is teaming up with Bill Gates-backed TerraPower LLC to explore sites for a nuclear reactor project as the state seeks to feed soaring demand for power.
“I don’t think most people comprehend the amount of power that’s going to be needed right now,” Gov. Spencer Cox said in August on Bloomberg TV alongside TerraPower Chief Executive Officer Chris Levesque. The state has one data center campus that would require four gigawatts of electricity, he said.
The agreement reflects the tremendous amount of power required for centers that support artificial intelligence, as well as for the electrification of the US economy. Nuclear power, despite having fallen out of favor for decades, has gained support as a source of reliable, carbon-free energy, including from US President Donald Trump.
TerraPower, based in Bellevue, Washington, signed a memorandum of understanding with Utah’s Office of Energy Development and Utah-based land development firm Flagship Companies to make recommendations for a site by the end of the year.
TerraPower is developing an advanced nuclear reactor that uses liquid sodium as a coolant instead of water. It began building a demonstration system in June 2024 near a retiring coal plant in Wyoming, but only has approval for the non-nuclear systems. It is waiting for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to issue the construction permit to build the reactor.
In June, TerraPower raised $650 million toward the construction of the Wyoming project. Backers included NVentures, the venture capital arm of Nvidia Corp.
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