The new collaboration will include such early-stage project development activities as feasibility studies, site evaluations, and development of a project execution framework. X-energy and Talen also plan to assess opportunities for transitioning fossil fuel power facilities to nuclear power plants with Xe-100 deployments, leveraging established infrastructure, transmission connectivity, and workforce resources.
Dinkar Bhatia, X-energy’s chief commercial officer, called the agreement with Talen “an important step forward to strengthen baseload capacity and meet growing energy demands in the PJM market. Our small modular reactor technology is uniquely suited to meet these demand opportunities reliably and safely, with the scalability and flexibility to deploy across a range of project sites.”
Talen president Terry Nutt emphasized the company’s belief in an “all-of-the-above” approach to meeting future energy demands. “Commercial nuclear energy is a proven carbon-free energy source that provides for energy independence and diversification,” he said. “We look forward to working with X-energy as part of our broader commitment to powering the future.”
The tech: The Xe-100 is an 80-MWe high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor that can be deployed in configurations consisting of four to 12 units. The reactor uses HALEU-based TRISO fuel, helium coolant, and passive safety features. The reactor’s steam generator produces steam at temperatures as high as 565°C for electricity production, or for delivery to industrial facilities as high-temperature process heat.
Other projects: This most recent partnership with Talen is part of X-energy’s ongoing activities aimed at developing more than 11 GW of new nuclear capacity through commercial partnerships in the United States and United Kingdom. Other activities include a partnership with Dow to advance the proposed four-unit Xe-100 Long Mott nuclear plant in Texas. The construction permit application for that project has been challenged by the environmental group San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper.
X-energy is also carrying out projects with Amazon with a goal of deploying at least 5 GW of new nuclear by 2039, starting with Energy Northwest’s Cascade Advanced Energy Facility in Washington state.
In the U.K., X-energy and Centrica announced last fall a partnership to pursue plans for Xe-100 deployment.
X-energy has set up a subsidiary, TRISO-X, to fabricate fuel for its reactors, and its TX-1 facility currently under construction in Oak Ridge, Tenn., is expected to be the first Category II fuel cycle facility built in the United States.
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