TerraPower has had informal talks with countries including Turkey on small reactors
Adds detail and quotes from paragraph 2 onwards
By Timothy Gardner
WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) -TerraPower, the Bill Gates-backed next-generation nuclear power company looking to build small modular reactors, has had informal talks with countries in Europe, including Turkey, a company spokesperson said on Thursday.
Earlier this month Reuters reported that Turkey is drafting a law to facilitate building SMRs to complement plans to build conventional nuclear plants.
"We’ve had informal conversations with many European countries, including some stakeholders in Turkey, but are not engaged in formal conversations with customers in Turkey at this time," a TerraPower spokesperson said in response to a Reuters query.
Backers of SMR technology hope to build a series of the smaller nuclear plants in factories, instead of at the site of a power station, a process they say will be less expensive. But TerraPower has had to delay the launch of its first Natrium plant in Wyoming by about two years to 2030.
The delay is due to a lack of fuel called high-assay low enriched uranium, or HALEU, currently only made in commercial amounts in Russia. TerraPower is in talks with ASP Isotopes ASPI.O on a plant to make HALEU.
"The growing energy demand in Europe and the Russian invasion of Ukraine has increased interest in the clean, firm power provided by technologies like Natrium," the TerraPower spokesperson said.
Turkey plans to build at least three nuclear power plants: a four reactor plant in Akkuyu in the Mediterranean region being built by Russian conglomerate Rosatom; a second one in the Black Sea province of Sinop; and a third in the northwest region of Thrace.
Turkey aims to complement conventional nuclear plants with SMRs to diversify its electricity production mix. Turkey's current nuclear energy law does not directly refer to SMRs, so new legislation is needed.
Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by David Holmes
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
