X-energy
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Nuclear reactor and fuel design engineering |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Kam Ghaffarian |
| Headquarters | United States |
Key people | Clay Sell (CEO) |
| Products | Generation IV high-temperature gas-cooled pebble-bed nuclear reactors, TRISO fuel |
| Website | x-energy |
X-energy is a U.S.-based private company specializing in nuclear reactor and fuel design engineering. The firm is focused on developing a Generation IV high-temperature gas-cooled pebble-bed nuclear reactor technology. Its financial backing includes private investments as well as government funding, notably from the DOE through initiatives such as the Advanced Reactor Concept Cooperative Agreement (2016) and the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) launched in 2020.
History
Established in 2009 by Kam Ghaffarian, X-energy secured a DOE grant of up to $40 million over five years in 2016 to support its reactor innovation efforts. In 2019, the company gained funding from the United States Department of Defense aimed at creating compact reactors for military forward operating bases. That same year, former DOE Deputy Secretary Clay Sell was named CEO.
In October 2020, X-energy received a DOE matching grant estimated between $400 million and $4 billion, spread over 5 to 7 years, to construct a demonstration unit of its Xe-100 helium-cooled pebble-bed reactor design. This project is part of the ARDP alongside TerraPower. The Xe-100 employs pressurized helium to cool uranium fuel contained within graphite pebbles, enhancing both safety and operational efficiency.
By 2022, Curtiss-Wright was designated as the preferred provider for three vital Xe-100 systems: the Helium Circulator System, Fuel Handling System, and Reactivity Control and Safe Shutdown System. The first reactor installation is slated for Energy Northwest in Washington State.
In March 2023, X-energy formed a partnership with Dow Inc to develop a grid-scale Xe-100 nuclear plant located on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
X-energy had planned a $2 billion public listing via special-purpose acquisition company Ares Acquisition in late 2022 but withdrew the proposal in October 2023 due to unfavorable market conditions and the cancellation of the Carbon Free Power Project SMR deployment driven by cost increases. Subsequently, layoffs were implemented in November 2023. In December 2023, the company secured $235 million in additional capital from existing investors.
Reactor design
The Xe-100 represents a high-temperature gas-cooled pebble bed nuclear reactor concept designed to be more compact, straightforward, and secure compared to traditional reactors. Each unit targets an output of approximately 200 MWt and around 76 MWe electrical power. Its fuel consists of spherical pebbles containing tristructural isotropic (TRISO) particles enriched with high-assay low-enriched uranium at 20%, allowing for extended refueling cycles. X-energy emphasizes that TRISO fuel greatly mitigates the possibility of nuclear meltdown incidents.