# X-energy gets green light to build its first small modular nuclear reactors

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/x-energy-gets-green-light-to-build-its-first-small-modular-nuclear-reactors/
- Published: 2026-11-10T20:43:55+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T04:51:53+00:00
- Original publisher: TechCrunch
- Original article: https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/10/x-energy-gets-green-light-to-build-its-first-small-modular-nuclear-reactors/
- Topics: Software

## Key points

- X-energy won approval to build four reactors at a Texas Dow plant.
- The reactors are expected to begin operating in the early 2030s.
- SMR costs and safety claims remain under scrutiny.

## Summary

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a construction permit for X-energy’s first four commercial small modular reactors, planned for a Dow chemical plant in Texas. It is the first approval for an advanced nuclear reactor at a US industrial site, but the project also highlights the gap between the promise of smaller reactors and their still unproven cost and construction advantages.

Each Xe-100 reactor is designed to produce 80 megawatts of electricity and 200 megawatts of heat. X-energy expects the plant to operate in the early 2030s; its helium-cooled design uses uranium-containing fuel pellets, though safety questions remain under scrutiny. Amazon has led a $500 million investment round and agreed to buy 5 gigawatts of capacity from the company, whose shares are now trading below half their initial public offering price.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.