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X-Energy’s UK subsidiary has been awarded ?3.34 million ($4.23 million) in funding to flesh out plans for deploying its Xe-100 small modular reactors (SMR) on UK soil.
Awarded through the UK Government’s Future Nuclear Enabling Fund (FNEF), X-Energy UK Holdings will now develop a plan on how and where the reactors will be built.
It includes plans on domestic manufacturing and supply chain opportunities, constructability, modularization studies, and fuel management. Part of the plan is for 80% of the value of the Xe-100 projects to go to UK-based contractors and suppliers.
This includes, at present, Kier Group in the UK Sheffield Forgemasters and the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC). The final plan will form the foundation for a final investment decision within the next parliament.
X-Energy must now come up with a plan
The UK government has awarded funding for the first time to an advanced modular reactor technology for post-R&D commercialization and business development activities.
“We are backing innovation in nuclear – from building large-scale plants better to encouraging new advanced technologies – to achieve our ambition for a quarter of our electricity to come from nuclear power by 2050,” said Minister for Nuclear and Renewables Andrew Bowie.
“This funding supports the next step in [developing] advanced modular reactors and shows our commitment to keeping the UK at the forefront of nuclear technology,” he added.
The Xe-100 is a fourth-generation advanced reactor design developed by X-Energy. It is based on decades of research, development, and operation of High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors (HTGR). These reactors are designed to operate as a four-pack power plant of 320 MWe or scaled in units of 80 MWe.
It is engineered to provide reliable and load-following grid-scale power to electricity systems while seamlessly integrating with renewable energy sources. With a thermal power of 200 MWt, producing 565°C steam, the Xe-100 also has the potential to power other industries, including mining and heavy industry.
X-Energy, in partnership with Cavendish, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Babcock International, has proposed developing a 12-reactor plant at the Hartlepool site in Teesside, northeast England. The aim is to have the plant ready and operational by the early 2030s. The companies plan to construct a fleet of up to 40 Xe-100 reactors across various locations in the UK.
An exciting opportunity for all
“We are delighted to receive this FNEF award from the government. It reflects the readiness of our advanced technology to contribute to the UK’s energy needs in the next wave of new nuclear,” said Carol Tansley, X-Energy’s UK market leader and vice president of projects.
“Building on X-Energy’s initial deployment with Dow on the US Gulf Coast, we can create both jobs and long-term energy security in the UK with clean, reliable advanced nuclear power,” she added.
“As X-Energy’s UK deployment partner, we’re pleased to welcome this award as a key step forward,” added Cavendish Nuclear Managing Director Mick Gornall.
“A fleet of Xe-100s can complement renewables by providing constant or flexible power, producing steam to decarbonise industry, and manufacturing hydrogen and synthetic transport fuels. Deployment in the UK will create thousands of high-quality, long-term jobs nationwide,” he added.
