NRC Completes Landmark Safety Review of X-energy’s Xe-100 SMR
Key Highlights
- ➤NRC completes Xe-100 Final Safety Evaluation Report, supporting construction-permit approval
- ➤X-energy’s Long Mott project completes both primary NRC reviews required for construction permit
- ➤NRC review establishes precedents intended to streamline licensing of future Xe-100 projects
- ➤Dow partnership advances proposed first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor at a U.S. industrial facility
- ➤Xe-100 uses a 400-meter emergency planning zone versus 10 miles for conventional reactors
Expert Statements
Dragan Popovic, Chief Global Operating Officer at X-energy
“Licensing a new reactor is earned through the quality of the application and the rigor of the regulator's review”
Dragan Popovic, Chief Global Operating Officer at X-energy
“The NRC's completion of its safety review reflects years of disciplined work by our team and the NRC staff, establishing the foundations to support every Xe-100 application that follows on the path to scale.”
* Final Safety Evaluation Report formally completes NRC safety review * Marks completion of both primary reviews required for Construction Permit approval * Establishes regulatory precedent to support more efficient licensing of future Xe-100 projects ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- X-Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: XE) (“X-energy” or “the Company”), a leading developer of advanced nuclear reactors and fuel technology, today announced the completion of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (“NRC”) safety review for the initial deployment of X-energy’s Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (“HTGR”). The proposed Long Mott Generating Station would be the first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor at an industrial facility in U.S. history, advancing in partnership with Dow (NYSE: DOW) under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (“ARDP”).
The NRC’s Final Safety Evaluation Report (“FSER”) follows a comprehensive review of the Xe-100 plant’s principal design criteria, preliminary design, safety analyses, probabilistic risk assessment, and research and development programs, documenting the NRC staff's conclusion that the proposed plant and site provide the safety basis to begin construction under 10 CFR Part 50. The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, an independent body that advises the Commission, separately reviewed the NRC staff's evaluation and supports issuance of the construction permit.
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