$ cat ./records/gates-backed-terrapower-wins-federal-approval-to-build-its-natriu-2026.txt
Gates-backed TerraPower wins federal approval to build its Natrium reactor in Wyoming
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In March 2026 the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted TerraPower — the advanced-nuclear company founded and chaired by Bill Gates — a construction permit for its 345-megawatt Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactor near Kemmerer, Wyoming, making it the first non-light-water advanced reactor in the United States cleared to move from design into nuclear construction. The company had already broken ground on the plant's non-nuclear systems in 2024 and completed the NRC's final safety evaluation in late 2025. TerraPower aims to begin commercial operation of the demonstration plant around 2030, pairing the reactor with a molten-salt energy-storage system to follow fluctuating grid demand. Gates has promoted the design as a route to firm, carbon-free power.
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Related Accomplishments
January 2026
Gates warns AI could be used to design a bioterrorism weapon
In his January 2026 'Year Ahead' annual letter and subsequent remarks, Bill Gates warned that an even greater risk than a natural pandemic is that 'a non-government group will use open source AI tools to design a bioterrorism weapon.' Gates identified two AI dangers he said society must manage — misuse by bad actors and disruption to jobs — and drew a comparison to COVID-19, invoking his 2015 TED talk about pandemic unpreparedness. He argued the technology must be deliberately developed, governed, and deployed, and urged governments to use 2026 to prepare before AI's risks become unmanageable.
2026
Gates backs a $1 million prize for AI-powered Alzheimer's research
Bill Gates joined other funders backing a competition to harness artificial intelligence for Alzheimer's research, with the Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative offering a $1 million first prize for 'agentic AI' that can accelerate discovery. The effort reflects Gates's growing personal focus on the brain — shaped by his father's experience with Alzheimer's — and his belief that AI and big data can speed progress in a field long marked by setbacks. Application rounds ran from 2025 into 2026.
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