ROCK SPRINGS – Nuclear jobs are coming to southwestern Wyoming and Gov. Mark Gordon’s Wyoming Innovation Partnership will invest $1.9 million to help Western Wyoming Community College launch a nuclear technology program.
The college announced it received the money Monday. According to Western, the program will be the first of its kind in the state and will offer a certificate and an Associate of Applied Science degree in nuclear technology.
“Western’s Nuclear Technology Program addresses a critical workforce need in Wyoming and in the future, the surrounding states,” Western President Kirk Young said. “With TerraPower’s advanced nuclear facility slated to begin hiring in 2027, our program will align perfectly with regional industry demands, preparing a pipeline of skilled workers ready to support the nuclear power sector.”
The college’s program comes as TerraPower’s Natrium reactor is under construction in Kemmerer. That reactor is planned to be a 345 megawatt reactor that may serve as a template for other similar reactors in Wyoming as Rocky Mountain Power’s coal-fire plants reach the end of their lifespans. Western also cites the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in highlighting the 500 nuclear technician job openings expected to be created annually over the next decade.
