Bill Gates is looking for more sites as he steps up efforts to deploy the Natrium reactor technology beyond a first proposed location in Wyoming.

Microsoft founder Gates, who visited a closed-down coal-fired plant in Glasgow, West Virginia, this week, said he needs to see how his Natrium demonstration plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming performs before making any announcements about new sites.

However, during a visit to the Kanawha River coal-fired plant, which closed in 2015, Gates called the West Virginia legislature’s decision last year to repeal the state’s ban on nuclear power facilities “quite impressive” and said he is looking for sites to expand his efforts to the east coast.

West Virginia’s new law has opened the door to discussions with American Electric Power, owner of Kanawha River, during the last six months, said Gates, who founded TerraPower, the company behind the $4bn (€3.7bn) Natrium project in Wyoming.