US regulator issues first construction permit for a gas-cooled SMR plant

· Climate · United States

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a joint application by X-energy and Dow Chemical to build four Xe-100 advanced reactors at Dow's Seadrift site in Texas. World Nuclear News described the approval as the first construction permit issued in the US for a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor in nearly 60 years. The project pairs a novel small modular reactor design with an industrial chemicals plant, giving the site its own power source. The permit clears the way for construction to begin on the four-unit plant, a milestone for the small modular reactor sector, which has struggled to move from design and licensing into actual building. The companies have not yet said when full construction will start.

Why it matters：The first US construction permit for a high-temperature gas-cooled SMR in decades signals that advanced nuclear is moving from licensing theory into construction, a test case for whether industrial users will bank on small reactors for power.

Key points

  • Four Xe-100 units are planned at Dow's Seadrift site in Texas.
  • The approval was a joint application by X-energy and Dow Chemical.
  • World Nuclear News calls it the first such US permit in nearly 60 years.

Sources (original reporting)

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