Source : TechCrunch
CALHOUN COUNTY, Texas, November 9, 2026 – The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a construction permit for four X-energy Xe-100 small modular reactors at Dow’s Seadrift site in Texas, the first construction permit for a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor in the country in nearly 60 years. The permit was issued on November 9, 2026, according to the NRC, and was reported by TechCrunch.
The project is known as the Long Mott Generating Station. It is being developed by Dow’s wholly owned subsidiary Long Mott Energy in collaboration with X-energy under the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. The facility is meant to supply both electricity and high-temperature steam to Dow’s Seadrift Operations, replacing existing energy and steam assets that are nearing the end of their lives.
The Xe-100 is an 80-megawatt electric, 200-megawatt thermal high-temperature gas-cooled reactor that uses TRISO-X coated particle fuel. World Nuclear News reported that the permit marks several firsts for the NRC, including its first approval of a multi-module advanced reactor facility, its first approval of a reactor with a pebble-bed core and its first approval of a design with online refuelling.
NRC Chairman Ho K. Nieh said the agency was “issuing America’s first construction permit for a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor in more than half a century” and that it had delivered on its 18-month review schedule. X-energy chief executive Clay Sell said the permit had arrived earlier than expected and described it as validation of the company’s regulatory approach.
The permit does not mean the reactors will be built or switched on. It authorises construction only; a separate operating licence is needed before the reactors can be fuelled or operated. Dow has also said it has not yet made a final decision to proceed. Before construction activities can begin, further engineering and design work and a review by Dow’s board must be completed, and the company is expected to consider a preliminary investment decision in 2027. If approved, construction could begin later this decade, with start-up early in the next decade, Dow said.
Edward Stones, business vice president for energy and climate at Dow, said the company would continue to assess the project on competitiveness, execution readiness and capital affordability before any construction decision. The companies said the permit lets them move ahead on maturing the supply chain for long-lead components and materials, and on their operating licence application.
The NRC completed its safety review when it released its Final Safety Evaluation Report on October 30, 2026. World Nuclear News said the plant is expected to be the first advanced nuclear project deployed at an industrial site in North America, and is designed to provide clean industrial power to the site for 60 years.
The notice of issuance was published in the Federal Register under docket number 50-614.
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