5-gigawatt modular reactors to be deployed across the US by 2039.
X-Energy has raised $700 million to accelerate the development of small modular nuclear reactor technologies. In October 2024, the company expected to raise about $500 million with the support of Amazon, but after Segra Capital Management, Jane Street, Ares Management funds, Emerson Collective and other investors joined the project, the amount has grown significantly.
X-Energy's flagship project, the Xe-100 small modular reactor, is already under construction at Dow's UCC Seadrift Operations site on the Texas Gulf Coast. It will be the first commercial next-generation reactor in North America, which will provide the enterprise with electricity and high-temperature steam without carbon emissions. The project is supported by the US Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP).
Each Xe-100 module generates 80 megawatts of electricity. Up to twelve modules can be placed on one site, so the station will be able to produce from 320 to 960 megawatts. X-Energy engineers designed the system elements in such a way that they can be transported on regular trucks. This will allow stations to be built in different regions, reduce installation times and more accurately predict costs.
The Xe-100 is a fourth-generation gas-cooled reactor. In addition to 80 megawatts of electricity, each module produces heat with a capacity of 200 megawatts. The graphite core can withstand high temperatures, and the reactor itself will last 60 years.
X-Energy will invest part of the funds raised in the construction of the first stage of the TRISO-X plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This will be the only enterprise in the United States that will produce innovative material for a new type of reactor. The ARDP program also supports this project - it will ensure the country's independence in energy technologies of the future.
The uniqueness of TRISO-X is in its design: in the center of the particle is uranium oxide or carbide, which releases more energy when split than traditional UO2. The core is surrounded by four protective layers that reliably hold the fissile material. Each element contains tens of thousands of such microparticles.
X-Energy uses highly enriched low-enriched uranium HALEU in TRISO-X - it has an increased energy density. That is, the reactor can operate longer without rebooting. The designers were also able to build passive safety systems and reduce the size of the system.
Amazon and X-Energy have agreed to jointly build energy facilities with a total capacity of more than five gigawatts in the United States by 2039. Engineers will also develop a standard scheme for how to deploy such projects and attract funding. Partners from the infrastructure and energy sectors will join the work.
X-Energy has raised $700 million to accelerate the development of small modular nuclear reactor technologies. In October 2024, the company expected to raise about $500 million with the support of Amazon, but after Segra Capital Management, Jane Street, Ares Management funds, Emerson Collective and other investors joined the project, the amount has grown significantly.
X-Energy's flagship project, the Xe-100 small modular reactor, is already under construction at Dow's UCC Seadrift Operations site on the Texas Gulf Coast. It will be the first commercial next-generation reactor in North America, which will provide the enterprise with electricity and high-temperature steam without carbon emissions. The project is supported by the US Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP).
Each Xe-100 module generates 80 megawatts of electricity. Up to twelve modules can be placed on one site, so the station will be able to produce from 320 to 960 megawatts. X-Energy engineers designed the system elements in such a way that they can be transported on regular trucks. This will allow stations to be built in different regions, reduce installation times and more accurately predict costs.
The Xe-100 is a fourth-generation gas-cooled reactor. In addition to 80 megawatts of electricity, each module produces heat with a capacity of 200 megawatts. The graphite core can withstand high temperatures, and the reactor itself will last 60 years.
X-Energy will invest part of the funds raised in the construction of the first stage of the TRISO-X plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This will be the only enterprise in the United States that will produce innovative material for a new type of reactor. The ARDP program also supports this project - it will ensure the country's independence in energy technologies of the future.
The uniqueness of TRISO-X is in its design: in the center of the particle is uranium oxide or carbide, which releases more energy when split than traditional UO2. The core is surrounded by four protective layers that reliably hold the fissile material. Each element contains tens of thousands of such microparticles.
X-Energy uses highly enriched low-enriched uranium HALEU in TRISO-X - it has an increased energy density. That is, the reactor can operate longer without rebooting. The designers were also able to build passive safety systems and reduce the size of the system.
Amazon and X-Energy have agreed to jointly build energy facilities with a total capacity of more than five gigawatts in the United States by 2039. Engineers will also develop a standard scheme for how to deploy such projects and attract funding. Partners from the infrastructure and energy sectors will join the work.
