Evergy and the Kansas Department of Commerce are partnering with TerraPower, a nuclear power company founded by Bill Gates, to explore locating an advanced nuclear power plant in the Sunflower State.
The three parties signed a memorandum of understanding that they would explore the possibility of siting a TerraPower nuclear reactor in Evergy’s Kansas territory, they announced in a Tuesday news release.
TerraPower, headquartered in Washington, is proposing a Natrium power plant, which uses liquid sodium as a coolant rather than water, according to the company’s website.
“Unlike today’s Light Water Reactors, the Natrium reactor is a 345-megawatt sodium fast reactor coupled with TerraPower’s breakthrough innovation — a molten salt energy storage system, providing built-in gigawatt-scale energy storage,” the website said.
The agreement allows TerraPower and Evergy to evaluate site-specific characteristics for the Natrium power plant and to “explore the Natrium plant’s technical design and ability to support Evergy’s customers,” the release said.
Site selection is based on everything from community support to necessary physical characteristics, as well as the ability to obtain a license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and access to existing infrastructure, the news release said.
“My administration has always supported an ‘all-of-the-above’ approach when meeting the energy needs of Kansas citizens and businesses,” Gov. Laura Kelly said in the news release. “We need to explore all available sources to power the future of our great state, and I’m pleased we’re using innovative methods to do just that.”
Evergy CEO David Campbell said nuclear energy would give the company the opportunity to add reliable energy options that don’t emit greenhouse gases.
“This agreement supports our all-of-the-above energy strategy and will allow us to evaluate the cost, technology, and feasibility of potentially deploying Natrium advanced nuclear plants,” he said in the news release.
Dorothy Barnett, executive director of Climate + Energy Project, said her organization’s mission is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions equitably, and she appreciates that advanced nuclear reactors can support part of that mission.
However, she’s concerned about the cost of such a power plant and what that would mean for customer bills.
“I am concerned with what I read about cost to build these advanced nuclear reactors and projects,” she said. “I believe one figure I saw for the Wyoming plant that TerraPower is building, which is 345 megawatts, was $4 billion.”
Reuters reported that the U.S. Department of Energy is financing half of that $4 billion cost. The company broke ground in 2024 on the Wyoming plant, the first Natrium plant to be built.
David Toland, lieutenant governor and secretary of commerce, said projects like this one could support the surge in economic activity in Kansas.
“We need to consider all innovative options that strengthen our competitive position while driving down costs for consumers. This project could do both,” he said.
