Insider Brief
- Dow and X-energy have submitted a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a small modular reactor (SMR) project at Dow’s Seadrift manufacturing site in Texas, aiming to supply clean, reliable power and industrial steam.
- The project, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, will deploy the Xe-100 advanced SMR technology with passive safety features and could eliminate most Scope 1 and 2 emissions at the site.
- If approved, the project, being developed by Dow’s Long Mott Energy LLC, would be the first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor serving an industrial site in North America, with construction possible later this decade and startup expected early next decade.
PRESS RELEASE – Dow (NYSE: DOW) and X-Energy Reactor Company, LLC (“X-energy”) announced the submission of a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) for a proposed advanced nuclear project in Seadrift, Texas.
Dow’s proposed advanced small modular reactor (“SMR”) project is being developed by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Long Mott Energy LLC. The project is focused on providing Dow’s UCC1 Seadrift Operations manufacturing site (“Seadrift” or the “site”) with safe, reliable, and clean power and industrial steam replacing existing energy and steam assets that are near end-of-life. The project is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (“ARDP”) which is designed to accelerate the deployment of advanced reactors through cost-shared partnerships with U.S. industry.
Since 2018, X-energy, and subsequently Dow, have worked with the NRC through extensive pre-application engagements to demonstrate the unparalleled safety profile of the Xe-100 advanced SMR through its advanced fuel design, passive safety features, and state-of-the-art analysis techniques. This has culminated in a comprehensive application submittal that exceeds NRC regulations for the protection of public health and safety, as well as the environment, with substantial safety features.
Approval of the construction permit is an important step forward that could take up to 30 months. Once the permit is received and upon Dow confirming the ability to deliver the project while achieving its financial return targets, construction could begin. Dow expects the cost of energy ‐ net of all subsidies ‐ to be competitive with other alternatives for firm, clean energy.
“This is an important next step in expanding access to safe, clean, reliable, cost-competitive nuclear energy in the U.S.,” said Edward Stones, business vice president, Energy & Climate, Dow. “We look forward to engaging with the NRC, DOE, our business partners and the community throughout the application process.”
“The construction permit application is a critical step to deliver on the vision of Congress and DOE to position the U.S. at the forefront of commercializing advanced reactor technology,” said J. Clay Sell, chief executive officer of X-energy. “Together with our world-class partner, Dow, we will demonstrate how the technology deployed at Seadrift, Texas, can be quickly and efficiently replicated to meet incredible power demand growth across America.”
The proposed project could begin construction later this decade and start up early next decade. The nuclear power and steam assets would eliminate most Scope 1 and 2 emissions at the site and ensure the site remains competitively advantaged for the life of the facility.
X-energy was selected by the DOE in 2020 to develop, license, and build an operational Xe-100 advanced SMR and TRISO-X fuel fabrication facility. Since that award, X-energy has completed the engineering and preliminary design of the nuclear reactor, has begun development and licensing of a fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and has secured approximately $1.1 billion in private capital to commercialize its technology. Once complete, Long Mott Generating Station is expected to be the first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor deployed to serve an industrial site in North America.
Dow’s Seadrift site covers 4,700 acres and manufactures more than 4 billion pounds of materials per 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.
1 Union Carbide Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company
