"This is a turning point in the field of energy" - Microsoft founder Bill Gates introduced the project with these words when he was talking about his new energy pilot project 'Natrium' this week.
Gates has named this nuclear power plant of a new type as 'Natrium'. It has been patented.
Bill Gates is working on this project with Warren Buffett who is investing crores in it.
This plant will be built in the US state of Wyoming, which is America's largest coal producer. It is part of Gates' fight against climate change and the goal of promoting renewable energy.
Nuclear power and renewable energy may seem contradictory, but in some areas these small and advanced reactors are seen as an important technology in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supplying electricity during times of wind-solar power shortage. They run on different fuels apart from conventional fuels.
"The Natrium reactor and its integrated power system show that nuclear power has many potential and can be competitive," TerraPower asserts on its website.
Its pilot project will be built on the site of a currently closed coal plant. But at which place this project will be built, it will be announced by the end of this year.
How does Natrium work?
According to the information given on TerraPower's website, this is a new technology for energy production and storage, in which fast sodium reactors and liquid salt storage technology are used together and it has the capacity to generate 345 MW of electricity.
According to the company, this storage technology can supply 500 MW of power for five and a half hours if needed. With this, the electricity requirement of about four lakh households can be met.
The company's president, Chris Levesque, said that it will take about seven years to build the pilot plant of this project, ie the first plant.
Talking about Natrium, he told reporters, "We need this kind of clean energy in our system by 2030."
This project is also part of the US Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.
In the program of the project, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon emphasized that it is the "fastest and cleanest way" to achieve the state's goal of "negative carbon footprint".
He wrote on Twitter, "This small reactor will provide energy on demand and will reduce emissions of CO2 gases. The construction and operation of this plant will also create hundreds of jobs."
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