US issues first construction permit in decades for Texas SMR plant

· Energy · United States

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a joint application from X-energy and Dow Chemical to build four Xe-100 advanced reactors at Dow's Seadrift site in Texas. The permit is the first construction approval for a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor in the United States in nearly 60 years. The Xe-100 is a small modular reactor design, and the project pairs a reactor developer with a large industrial chemicals user seeking on-site power. For a sector that has waited years for regulatory precedent on advanced designs, the decision gives the SMR pipeline a concrete licensing milestone and a template other industrial decarbonization projects may follow. Construction can now move toward the build phase, though operation will require further licensing steps.

Why it matters：The permit establishes a regulatory precedent for advanced reactor licensing in the US, and the industrial-owner model could shape how energy-hungry manufacturers secure on-site power.

Key points

  • Four Xe-100 units are planned at Dow's Seadrift site in Texas.
  • The NRC called it the first construction permit for a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor in the US in nearly 60 years.
  • X-energy is the reactor developer; Dow is the industrial host.

Sources (original reporting)

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