# X-energy wins permit for first US small modular reactors

> The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approves construction of four Xe-100 reactors at a Texas chemical plant, marking a milestone for advanced nuclear technology.
- Title: X-energy wins permit for first US small modular reactors
- Summary: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approves construction of four Xe-100 reactors at a Texas chemical plant, marking a milestone for advanced nuclear…
- Keywords: x-energy, small modular reactors, nuclear regulatory commission, dow chemical, texas, xe-100, nuclear power, advanced reactors, TechCrunch
- Source: TechCrunch — https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/10/x-energy-gets-green-light-to-build-its-first-small-modular-nuclear-reactors
- Author: Tim De Chant
- Published: 2026-11-10T20:43:55+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: x-energy, small modular reactors, nuclear regulatory commission, dow chemical, texas, xe-100, nuclear power, advanced reactors, technology, startups
## X-energy gets construction permit
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved X-energy's application to build four Xe-100 reactors at a Dow chemical plant in Texas on Monday.
## Each reactor's power output
Each Xe-100 reactor will generate eighty megawatts of electricity and two hundred megawatts of heat. X-energy says this is the first advanced nuclear reactor approval at an industrial site in the United States.
## Timeline to operation unclear
No small modular reactor is currently operating in the US. X-energy says the Dow reactors will not be operational until the early two thousand thirty s.
## Safety concerns raised
The Union of Concerned Scientists questioned X-energy's safety claims and the speed of approval. Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety, said the NRC pushed critical safety questions to a later date.

> The NRC only accomplished this feat by pushing consideration of critical safety questions to a later date, issues the NRC should've fully resolved before green lighting construction.
## Tech giants backing the startup
Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund led X-energy's five hundred million dollar Series C-1 funding round. Amazon committed to buying five gigawatts of capacity from the nuclear startup.
## Stock price struggles despite approval
X-energy raised one billion dollars in an April initial public offering but investor optimism has tempered. Shares now trade at less than half their initial offering price.
## Key takeaway

X-energy received federal approval to build its first four commercial small modular reactors at a Dow chemical plant in Texas, though safety critics question the speed of approval.