The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) accepted Dow’s construction permit application to build X-energy's first small modular reactor plant to power a chemical facility in Seadrift, Texas.
May 14, 2025
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The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) accepted Dow’s construction permit application to build X-energy's first advanced small modular reactor plant to power its manufacturing facility in Seadrift, Texas.
The project is part of a demonstration project supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and, if approved, would be the first advanced nuclear facility at an industrial site in the United States.
Streamlining the Licensing Process
Dow submitted its application to the NRC in late March to build the Long Mott Generating Station, which includes four Xe-100 reactors at the company’s chemical plant in Southeast Texas. The proposed project is being developed by Dow’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Long Mott Energy LLC.
The application applied new technology-inclusive guidance issued by the NRC to streamline the review process for non-light-water reactor applicants.
The new guidance leverages the industry-led TICAP project to support a more risk-informed review of the safety analysis report. The TICAP effort is a direct result of a larger licensing modernization project supported by DOE in collaboration with industry and NRC.
“X-energy is proud to demonstrate how the U.S. can streamline the deployment of safe, next-generation nuclear technologies as demand for secure, reliable energy continues to grow,” said J. Clay Sell, X-energy CEO. “Bringing together private industry and government, these regulatory modernizations can accelerate innovation as well as more timely and efficient regulatory decisions moving forward.”
Xe-100 to Power Industry in Texas
The Xe-100 is a high-temperature gas-cooled advanced small modular reactor, powered by specialized TRISO particle fuel. A single reactor can produce 80 megawatts of electric output or 200 megawatts of process heat and is designed to operate for 60 years.
The first units of the Xe-100 will be built in Seadrift, Texas at Dow’s Seadrift manufacturing site and is anticipated to be the first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor deployed to supply power and high-temperature heat to industrial-scale operations.
The new reactors will replace aging power and steam assets on the Seadrift site and support the manufacturing of more than 4 billion pounds of chemical products a year, used across a wide variety of applications including food packaging and preservation, footwear, wire and cable insulation, solar cell membranes, and packaging for medical and pharmaceutical products.
Dow anticipates that construction of the plant could begin within the next five years.
X-energy’s Xe-100 is one of two advanced reactor demonstration projects supported through DOE’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, which aims to speed the deployment of new reactor technologies and unleash more affordable, reliable and secure power to the United States.
Both projects are implementing the licensing modernization project methodology.