WSJ.com
By ROBERT A. GUTH And DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI
An energy start-up backed by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates is in discussions with Toshiba Corp. on developing a small-scale nuclear reactor that would represent a long-term bet to make nuclear power safer and cheaper.
Toshiba said it is in preliminary discussions with TerraPower, a unit of Intellectual Ventures, a patent-holding concern partially funded by Mr. Gates. Intellectual Ventures, based in Bellevue, Wash., is run by a former Microsoft Corp. executive, Nathan Myhrvold.
Toshiba spokesman Keisuke Ohmori said the two sides were talking about how they could collaborate on nuclear technology. He said the discussions were still in early stages and that nothing has been decided on investment or development.
The discussions come as President Barack Obama is trying to spur new investment in nuclear power with over $8 billion in government loan guarantees announced in February.
The TerraPower-Toshiba discussions were reported earlier by Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Laura Hermann, a spokeswoman for TerraPower, said TerraPower officials have been meeting with the "nuclear community" and presenting at conferences but declined to comment on whether they met with Toshiba.
TerraPower has publicly said its reactor technology could run for decades on depleted uranium without refueling or removing spent fuel from the device. The reactor, the company has said, could be safer, cheaper and more socially acceptable than today's reactors.
In interviews, Mr. Gates has described the device being able to run buried deep in the ground without human intervention. The reactor would likely take years to develop and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission doesn't have a certification process for such reactors.
TerraPower is a small player in a field of established concerns trying to develop smaller, safer nuclear reactors. In February, nuclear and defense supplier General Atomics said it is working on a small nuclear reactor that would run on spent fuel.
Toshiba is developing a compact reactor that can operate continuously for 30 years.
Mr. Gates's recent focus on nuclear power has been fueled by an interest in developing new power systems for developing countries. He has also increasingly made public his view that new energy solutions are needed to combat climate change.
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By ROBERT A. GUTH And DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI
An energy start-up backed by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates is in discussions with Toshiba Corp. on developing a small-scale nuclear reactor that would represent a long-term bet to make nuclear power safer and cheaper.
Toshiba said it is in preliminary discussions with TerraPower, a unit of Intellectual Ventures, a patent-holding concern partially funded by Mr. Gates. Intellectual Ventures, based in Bellevue, Wash., is run by a former Microsoft Corp. executive, Nathan Myhrvold.
Toshiba spokesman Keisuke Ohmori said the two sides were talking about how they could collaborate on nuclear technology. He said the discussions were still in early stages and that nothing has been decided on investment or development.
The discussions come as President Barack Obama is trying to spur new investment in nuclear power with over $8 billion in government loan guarantees announced in February.
The TerraPower-Toshiba discussions were reported earlier by Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Laura Hermann, a spokeswoman for TerraPower, said TerraPower officials have been meeting with the "nuclear community" and presenting at conferences but declined to comment on whether they met with Toshiba.
TerraPower has publicly said its reactor technology could run for decades on depleted uranium without refueling or removing spent fuel from the device. The reactor, the company has said, could be safer, cheaper and more socially acceptable than today's reactors.
In interviews, Mr. Gates has described the device being able to run buried deep in the ground without human intervention. The reactor would likely take years to develop and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission doesn't have a certification process for such reactors.
TerraPower is a small player in a field of established concerns trying to develop smaller, safer nuclear reactors. In February, nuclear and defense supplier General Atomics said it is working on a small nuclear reactor that would run on spent fuel.
Toshiba is developing a compact reactor that can operate continuously for 30 years.
Mr. Gates's recent focus on nuclear power has been fueled by an interest in developing new power systems for developing countries. He has also increasingly made public his view that new energy solutions are needed to combat climate change.
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