Dow gets approval for four advanced nuclear reactors in Texas

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a construction permit for Dow and X-energy's Long Mott Generating Station in Texas, according to World Nuclear News. The plant will be developed through Dow's wholly owned subsidiary, Long Mott Energy, in collaboration with X-energy under the Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. Dow signed a joint development agreement with X-energy in 2023, and the construction licence application was submitted to the NRC in March 2025.

The permit authorizes four Xe-100 reactors, each an 80 MWe high-temperature gas-cooled reactor using TRISO-X coated particle fuel. World Nuclear News reported that the permit marks several NRC firsts: the first approval of a multimodule advanced reactor facility, the first approval of a reactor with a pebble-bed core, the first approval of a design featuring online nuclear refuelling, and the first review of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor under the agency's risk-informed, technology-inclusive Licensing Modernisation Project framework.

NRC Chairman Ho K. Nieh said, "Today, the new NRC is issuing America's first construction permit for a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor in more than half a century." He added that the agency delivered on an 18-month schedule, proving it can do rigorous safety reviews on predictable timelines.

The proposed plant is intended to provide both electricity and high-temperature steam to Dow's Seadrift site, replacing existing energy and steam assets near their end-of-life and providing clean industrial power for 60 years. It is expected to be the first advanced nuclear project deployed at an industrial site in North America.

Dow has not yet made a final decision to proceed with construction. Before potential construction activities could begin, further milestones including continued engineering and design finalisation and review by Dow's Board of Directors must be completed. The company is expected to consider a preliminary investment decision in 2027. If approved, construction could begin later this decade, with startup early next decade.

The construction permit authorizes the facility to be built but does not authorize operation; a separate operating licence will be needed before the reactors can be fuelled or operated. X-energy CEO Clay Sell said the construction permit had been received earlier than expected, thanks in part to "thorough and efficient" work by the NRC plus Congressionally-mandated reforms put in place over the past six years.