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Gates teams with Japan to build $5.5 billion nuclear reactor
Bill Gates' company Terrapower is set to sign an agreement with Japan to build a high-tech nuclear reactor in Wyoming.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has brokered a deal with Japan to build a nuclear reactor in the United States, according to a Reuters report.
Terrapower, a start-up co-founded by Gates to revolutionise designs for nuclear reactors, will join hands with the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd to build the high-tech facility in Wyoming.
TerraPower is set to open its Natrium plant in 2028. The US government will provide funding to cover half of the US$4 billion ($5.56 billion) project.
The Japanese firms will provide technical assistance and data from Japan's own reactors.
Gates' company had initially explored the prospect of building an experimental nuclear plant with state-owned China National Nuclear Corp but that plan was derailed after the Donald Trump administration restricted nuclear deals with China.
While it is believed nuclear power could be essential in the fight against global warming, its generation has fallen in recent years as several countries turn away in favour of investing in renewables.
In some countries, however, nuclear energy programs are continuing to grow at a fast pace. The top contenders in this space are the United States, China and France as per the 2021 World Nuclear Industry Status Report.
China has the fastest-growing nuclear energy program in the world, having added two new reactors in 2020.
The new agreement between TerraPower and JAEA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is expected to be signed as early as this month.
Japan had decommissioned its Monju prototype advanced reactor in 2016, a project that yielded a low return on investment of US$8.5 billion ($11.81).
https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2007/dec/17/dickensmuddledhisracistcar