- Texas A&M System Goes Nuclear
- X-Energy Raises $700 Million to Develop its HTGR
- India Pushes Ahead With Plans To Open Up Nuclear Sector, Deploy More Reactors
- Vietnam Opens Talks With Potential Partners for Nuclear Plants
- UK Announces Planning Reforms To Speed Up Nuclear Projects
Texas A&M System Goes Nuclear
- Four Advanced Reactor Companies Could Fastrack Deployment of Latest Nuclear Reactors on System Land
Until now, reactor manufacturers – along with the most powerful names in data centers for the major IT platforms – have not been able to find a suitable place to build clusters of nuclear reactors that can supply the power needed for artificial intelligence endeavors, data centers and other projects. (image: Google Gemini>
The sprawling university campus is located about 100 miles northeast of Austin, TX. Texas is a hotbed of entrepreneurial interest in nuclear energy. The Texas Nuclear Alliance has garnered memberships from a raft of nuclear energy developers, suppliers, and trade groups.
An inaugural conference of its members last November laid out an agenda to promote the growth of a nuclear technology industry in the the state. A ley objective is building new reactors to stabilize the over-stretched electric grid which during a storm in 2022 revealed Texas’ overreliance on intermittent energy sources.
Four Nuclear Projects
CEOs of four nuclear companies – Kairos Power, Natura Resources, Terrestrial Energy and Aalo Atomics have agreed to work with the University to bring reactors to Texas A&M-RELLIS, a 2,400-acre technology and innovation site as part of a project labeled as “The Energy Proving Ground.”
At the site, the companies will work toward bringing commercial-ready technologies to the university using the project to test the latest nuclear SMR prototypes.
Construction of the first reactors could start within five years. Once completed, power generated by each reactor at the proving ground could supply power to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas aka ERCOT. Texas is more or less isolated from the big electric transmission grids in both the eastern and western U.S.
Mike Laufer, co-founder and CEO of Kairos Power, said his company could bring one or more commercial deployments to the site. He added that the surging demand for clean electricity has brought nuclear energy to the forefront of the national discussion as a vital source of reliable, carbon-free energy.
“We are excited about the momentum for new nuclear deployment at Texas A&M-RELLIS and its potential to support U.S. energy security and continued economic growth. We look forward to collaborating with the Texas A&M System to advance Kairos Power’s clean energy mission and play a new role in developing the nation’s future nuclear workforce.”
Douglass Robison, the founder and CEO of Natura Resources, said that the Texas A&M System has been an integral partner over the past five years, collaborating with the company to develop the Natura MSR-1 demonstration system.
“We are thrilled to continue this partnership with the Texas A&M System to deploy our commercial system, the Natura MSR-100, on the Texas A&M-RELLIS campus,” Robison said. “We plan to showcase how our technology can address the energy needs of Texas and the nation.”
Simon Irish, CEO of Terrestrial Energy, said his hope for the partnership is to develop Integral Molten Salt Reactor, or IMSR, technology at the site in Bryan.
“Our partnership with Texas A&M at its RELLIS campus is an important strategic relationship, which showcases the commercial potential of our small modular power plant and its advanced nuclear technology,” Irish said.
Matt Loszak, co-founder and CEO, Aalo Atomics, said his company could build up to six Aalo Pods at the site.
“This collaboration is a pivotal step for Aalo as it provides us with a platform to demonstrate the potential of our factory mass-manufactured nuclear technology to deliver reliable, clean energy that will ultimately power the next generation of data centers and AI infrastructure.”
Early Site Permit
Texas A&M System officials have worked to streamline the regulatory process on the front end to allow the four companies to quickly get their reactors operational. The System has begun the application process with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for an Early Site Permit (ESP).
Licensing of each individual reactor will be the the technical and financial responsibility of each vendor. None of the four firms participating in the Texas A&M project have yet reached the stage of being ready to submit a license application for this site. Of the four firms Kairos Power has the most experience with the NRC licensing process based on its Hermes 2 demonstration project in Tennessee.
The Texas A&M ESP application will be for the potential development of commercial electrical and thermal power generation facilities. The proposed site at Texas A&M-RELLIS is projected to accommodate multiple SMRs with a combined electrical output of more than one gigawatt.
It will take multiple units of each of the four participating reactor designs to achieve this level of output assuming all four are licensed by the NRC to build reactors at the Texas site and are able to convince investors to fund their path to full commercialization.
Texas A&M as a Nuclear R&D Proving Ground
This project at Texas A&M-RELLIS is part of the Texas A&M System’s broader commitment to advancing nuclear research, education and energy production. System officials believe the Energy Proving Ground will position the Texas A&M System as a leader in sustainable, advanced energy solutions to meet the growing energy demands of the world.
Joe Elabd, vice chancellor for research at the Texas A&M System, said the Energy Proving Ground will have an extraordinary effect on the future of energy delivery in the U.S.
“The agreements that the Texas A&M System has with Kairos, Natura, Terrestrial and Aalo are going to change the energy landscape for the whole country,” Elabd said. “The Energy Proving Ground will allow these companies to safely test their SMRs and set the stage for deploying small nuclear reactors across the country.”
“Plain and simple: the United States needs more power,” Sharp said. “And nowhere in the country, other than Texas, is anyone willing to step up and build the power plants we need. Thanks to the leadership of Gov. Greg Abbott and others in Texas state government, Texas A&M System stands ready to step up and do what is necessary for the country to thrive.”
About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $7.3 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, a comprehensive health science center, eight state agencies, Texas A&M-Fort Worth and Texas A&M-RELLIS, the Texas A&M System educates more than 157,000 students and makes more than 21 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceed $1.5 billion and help drive the state’s economy.
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X-Energy Raises $700 Million to Develop its HTGR
X-Energy Reactor Company LLC, announced the closing of its Series C-1 financing round of $700 million. New investors include Segra Capital Management, Jane Street, Ares Management funds, Emerson Collective, and other investors not named in the press statement.
They join the previously announced round anchored by the Amazon.com, Inc. Climate Pledge Fund, an affiliate of Citadel Founder, and CEO Ken Griffin, affiliates of Ares Management Corporation, NGP, and the University of Michigan.
Latham & Watkins LLP acted as legal advisor to X-energy, and Moelis & Company acted as exclusive financial advisor and placement agent.
Proceeds from the funds will support the completion of X-energy’s reactor design and licensing as well as the first phase of its TRISO-X fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, TN. Additionally, the funding will support future, as yet unannounced, projects that will use X- energy’s Xe-100 advanced small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs).
X-energy is developing its initial Xe-100 plant at Dow’s UCC Seadrift Operations manufacturing site on the Texas Gulf Coast. Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, the project is expected to be the first grid- scale advanced nuclear reactor deployed to serve an industrial site in the U.S. providing the site with zero-carbon emissions power and high-temperature steam.
Amazon and X-energy are collaborating to bring more than five gigawatts of new power projects online across the U.S. by 2039. The efforts will help meet growing energy demands in key locations through direct project investments to fund development, licensing, and construction, as well as long-term power purchase agreements to help power Amazon operations. Further, X-energy and Amazon plan to establish and standardize a deployment and financing model to develop projects in partnership with infrastructure and utility partners.
Under an agreement with Energy Northwest, Amazon will have the right to purchase electricity from the first project (four modules), which is expected to generate 320 MW. Energy Northwest has the option to further build out the site by adding up to eight additional modules (640 MWs) resulting in a total project generating capacity of up to 960 MWs. This additional power will be available to Amazon and northwest utilities to power homes and businesses.
X-energy’s Xe-100 advanced SMR uses TRISO fuel. Each reactor unit is engineered to provide 80 MW of electricity and is optimized in multi-unit plants ranging from 320 MW to 960 MW. The firm claims the modular design is road-shippable and intended to drive geographic scalability, reduce construction timelines, and create more predictable and manageable construction costs.
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India Pushes Ahead With Plans To Open Up Nuclear Sector, Deploy More Reactors
(NucNet) India wants to amend its liability law to boost foreign and private investments in its civilian nuclear energy sector and also aims to set up a Nuclear Energy Mission with an outlay $2.3 billion to operate at least five indigenously developed 220 MW PHWR small modular reactors (SMRs) by 2033.
Finance and corporate affairs minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the development of at least 100 GW of nuclear energy by 2047 is essential for the country’s energy transition efforts. India currently has about 6.9 GW of nuclear capacity in operation with about 5.4 GW under construction.
The announcements were part of Sitharaman’s budget and came ahead of prime minister Narendra Modi’s planned US visit from 12-14 February.
The proposal to amend the liability laws came ahead of PM Modi’s proposed visit to the US and in the wake of the US action last month removing restrictions on Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Indira Gandhi Atomic Research Centre and Indian Rare Earths.
Strict liabilities under India’s Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, have severely hampered implementation of an India-US deal that would allow participation in India new-build projects of US reactor technology companies such as General Electric and Westinghouse.
US ‘Finalizing Steps’ To Remove Barriers
But a longstanding obstacle has been the need to bring Indian liability rules in line with global norms, which require the costs of any accident to be channeled to the operator rather than the maker of a nuclear power plant.
The removal of US restrictions on civil nuclear cooperation is expected to bring a number of significant benefits for India’s domestic nuclear energy industry, including access to advanced technology, the transfer of knowledge and skills, greater investment in infrastructure and the strengthening of regulatory frameworks.
Last month, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) issued a request for proposals for the deployment of Bharat small modular reactors, opening the doors of the nuclear sector to Indian private companies for the first time. Until now, only state-owned NPCIL has been allowed to build and deploy commercial nuclear power plants in India.
“For an active partnership with the private sector towards this goal, amendments to the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act will be taken up,” Sitharaman said.
An amendment of the Atomic Energy Act may see NPCIL lose its position as the sole operator of nuclear reactors in the country, making space for private sector operators.
Plans For 18 More Reactors By 2032
The proposal would allow private companies to build reactors under NPCIL’s control and supervision. On completion, plants would be operated by NPCIL under a long-term operation and maintenance agreement.
The deployment of the Bharat SMR – Bharat being the Hindi for “India” – forms part of the country’s plans under ‘Viksit Bharat’, which is Hindi for “Developed India”.
The details of the Bharat nuclear plant’s development remain unclear, but Sitharaman said in July the initiative would involve a joint venture between state power company National Thermal Power Corporation and state power generation equipment manufacturer Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited.
NPCIL said recently that India plans to add 18 more nuclear reactors to its national energy mix by 2031-32, bringing the total nuclear power capacity of the country to 22.4 GW.
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Vietnam Opens Talks With Potential Partners for Nuclear Plants
Reuters reports that Vietnam to talk soon with foreign partners on building the first two nuclear power plants
According to the wire service, State utility EVN and oil and gas firm PetroVietnam have been assigned as the investors for the first two plants, the government said in a statement. It will discuss the projects with partners that include Russia, Japan, South Korea, France and the United States, according to state media.
Vietnam aims to complete the construction of the two news plants by the end of 2030. More likely the 2030 date will be when the construction of the plants breaks ground.
Vietnam is a regional manufacturing hub. It is seeking to boost electricity supplies to support its fast-growing economy. It also wants nuclear power to transform its aluminum mining sector from exporting raw ore to having an aluminum finished goods industry to support exports.
Vietnam shelved its nuclear plans in 2016 in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan and due to budget constraints. Also, government officials said the country was not ready to manage nuclear energy projects. The proposed plants, with a combined capacity of 4 GW were planned to be built by Russia’s Rosatom and Japan Atomic Power Co in the central province of Ninh Thuan.
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UK Announces Planning Reforms To Speed Up Nuclear Projects
(WNN) The UK government announced plans to reform planning requirements and regulatory rules as part of measures to streamline the process of constructing new nuclear power plants in England and Wales, including small modular reactors.
The reforms include allowing new plants to be built anywhere across England and Wales, not just in the eight existing nuclear sites specified in current planning rules. However, the government said there will “continue to be robust criteria for nuclear reactor locations, including restrictions near densely-populated areas and military activity, alongside community engagement and high environmental standards.”
The reforms also include removing the expiration date on nuclear planning rules so that projects do not get “timed out” and industry can plan for the long-term.
For the first time, in addition to large-scale nuclear power plants, new nuclear technologies such as SMRs and advanced modular reactors will be included, “providing flexibility to co-locate them with energy-intensive industrial sites such as AI data centers.
In addition, a Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce will be established to ensure nuclear regulation incentivizes investment to deliver new projects more quickly and cost efficiently, while upholding high safety and security standards.
The taskforce, which will report directly to the prime minister, will speed up the approval of new reactor designs and streamline how developers engage with regulators. This taskforce will better align the UK with international partners so reactor designs approved abroad could be approved more quickly, minimizing expensive changes.
“This country hasn’t built a nuclear power station in decades – we’ve been let down, and left behind,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“Our energy security has been hostage to Putin for too long, with British prices skyrocketing at his whims. I’m putting an end to it – changing the rules to back the builders of this nation, and saying no to the blockers who have strangled our chances of cheaper energy, growth and jobs for far too long.”
Starmer did not commit any new funds to either of the two massive EDF 1650 MW EPRs now under construction in the UK. Separately, Great British Nuclear (GBN) continues to progress the SMR competition, with contract negotiations currently under way. A final decision on which design or designs will be included in the UK’s official SMR program is expected to be taken in the coming months. The UK nuclear industry, particularly Rolls-Royce, has expressed impatience with GBN’s glacial pace of decision making related to the SMR competition.
Reforms Welcomed by the UK Nuclear Industry
Last month, the government announced plans to limit legal challenges to major infrastructure projects – including nuclear power plants – to just one hearing in court instead of the current three hearings. It has also set out reforms to end the block and delay to building homes and infrastructure from current environmental obligations.
The announced planning reforms were welcomed by industry, with Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, saying: “This is the prime minister’s strongest signal yet that new nuclear is critical to the growth and clean power mission. A more streamlined planning system will give certainty to investors, the supply chain and communities, and will enable us to get on with building new nuclear plants on more sites and at pace for a cleaner, more secure power system.
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