US advanced nuclear innovation company TerraPower aims to export its Natrium reactor to the UK by the early to mid-2030s as the country strengthens its policy support for nuclear, a senior executive for the Washington-state based firm said.

The company, co-founded by Bill Gates, who serves as chairman, recently established a UK subsidiary, TerraPower UK Ltd, and announced the beginning of a UK regulatory review for its 345-MW Natrium reactor. The review will assess the safety, security and environmental implications of the Natrium technology.

In conversation with NucNet, TerraPower’s vice-president for government affairs, Andrew Richards, said the company was encouraged by recent policy steps in the UK, including a nuclear framework that aims to promote a new era of British nuclear energy generation.

“We’ve had a lot of really positive engagements with the government, and there does seem to be a strong interest to deploy advanced nuclear in the United Kingdom. So we do see some promise there to be able to proceed with exporting Natrium,” said Richards.