The move is part of the TerraPower-led proposal for the US Department of Energy’s advanced reactor demonstration programme, which is intended to support the deployment of two first-of-a-kind advanced reactor designs in the next five to seven years.
Bechtel joins a team that also includes GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, PacifiCorp, Energy Northwest, and Duke Energy.
The Natrium system, unveiled in August, features an advanced, sodium fast reactor with a molten salt energy storage system based on those used in solar thermal generation.
According to TerraPower, the result is a design that is affordable and capable of adapting to changes in daily electricity demands driven by solar and wind energy fluctuations. The Natrium technology also separates nuclear and non-nuclear facilities and systems within the plant footprint, simplifying the licensing process and lowering construction costs.
TerraPower said that breakthroughs in sodium fast reactor technology allow the Natrium reactor to operate at much higher temperatures and lower pressures than conventional nuclear reactors, with heat being also used for industrial processes or stored in molten salt.