Bill Gates-backed TerraPower and HD Hyundai have signed agreements to develop and manufacture components for the Natrium, a next-generation 345-megawatt sodium-cooled fast reactor with integrated energy storage.
Under a supply framework agreement signed May 20 in New York, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries becomes a preferred manufacturer for Natrium Reactor Enclosure System components. The companies plan to move from first-of-a-kind production to serial manufacturing to support deployment of multiple plants.
The Natrium design includes molten salt storage that can boost output to 500 megawatts during peak demand. TerraPower’s first commercial plant is under construction in Kemmerer, Wyoming, through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, with fuel loading targeted around 2030.
TerraPower has also agreed to supply up to eight Natrium plants to Meta by 2035 to power data centers. Hyundai Engineering and Construction signed a separate cooperation agreement for engineering and construction work. Gates founded TerraPower to advance nuclear technology that could provide reliable carbon-free electricity at scale.
TerraPower’s Kemmerer Unit 1 in Wyoming is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program with commercial operation targeted around 2031. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries was selected after a joint feasibility study on manufacturing costs and delivery schedules. Meta has contracted for up to eight Natrium plants by 2035 for data center power.
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Sources:
https://dailycuratednews.substack.com/p/news-headlines-may-22-2026