NRC dockets construction permit for Dow, X-energy SMR
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted Dow’s construction permit application to build an X-energy small modular reactor in Seadrift, Texas.
The commission announced review plans for what would be X-energy’s first SMR, which will power a Dow chemical facility on the Gulf Coast. It’s a significant step forward for the project, which is part of the Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP).
By docketing the application review, the NRC starts its detailed safety and environmental review process of the four-unit Xe-100 high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor design. Even if the construction permit is approved, the Dow/X-energy project will still need NRC licensing approval.
A closer look: Dow and X-energy filed the construction application in March. X-energy hopes to deploy a four-pack of its 80-MWe SMR to replace fossil fuel–powered electricity at Long Mott generating station. X-energy has been working on preapplication steps with the NRC since 2018.
X-energy’s pebble bed rector uses graphite encased TRISO particles as fuel and helium as coolant to generate both power and steam that will enable carbon-free operations for the Dow plant, which produces more than 4 billion pounds of chemical products a year, including everyday items such as plastic packaging, footwear, and pharmaceutical products.
Using Part 53: The application incorporates new technology-inclusive guidance issued by the NRC under 10 CFR Part 53, a significantly revamped of the Code of Federal Regulations that has been under development for several years and aims to streamline the review process for non–light water reactor applicants.
The new guidance, which leverages a more risk-informed review of safety analysis, is part of a larger licensing modernization project underway with collaboration from industry, the NRC and the DOE. By law, Part 53 must be issued in its final form before the end of 2027.
As work continues on the new rule, the California-based environmental research center the Breakthrough Institute shared comments earlier this year and lobbied for a more practical framework in Part 53.
“The rule is supposed to be technology neutral and applicable to all the various emerging technologies. The change is necessary, partly because the new reactor designs vary widely,” according to a March 6 article on the Breakthrough Institute’s website. “This avenue is intended to be more appropriate for emerging technologies than the existing regulatory structures, which assume the use of the light water technologies that have dominated for the last 60 years.”
What’s next: Dow hopes to start construction of the plant in the next five years. Stay tuned to Nuclear Newswire for updates on permits and licensing for the project.
