Energy Northwest and X-Energy Reactor Company, a developer of advanced small modular nuclear reactors, have signed a joint development agreement for up to 12 Xe-100 advanced small modular reactors to be located in Richland, central Washington state. Each of the 12 reactors will have a capacity of 80 MW. Energy Northwest expects to bring the first Xe-100 module online by 2030.
Energy Northwest owns or operates numerous clean energy generating facilities in the Northwest region of the USA, including Columbia Generating Station in Richland It is the only commercial nuclear energy facility in the region. Under the JDA, the Xe-100 project is expected to be developed at a site controlled by Energy Northwest adjacent to Columbia Generating Station.
Energy Northwest and X-energy have been working on plans for a nuclear facility in central Washington since 2020. The JDA defines and details the scope, location, and schedule under which the commercial development of the project will move forward. The companies will also work together to determine the best approaches to licensing and regulatory matters, as well as the project delivery model.
Each Xe-100 module can provide 80 MWe of electricity 24 hours per day, or 200 MW of high-temperature steam. X-energy’s innovative and simplified modular design is said to be ‘road-shippable’ and is intended to drive scalability, accelerate construction timelines and create more predictable and manageable construction costs. The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor can power a broad range of applications via its high-temperature steam output, addressing the needs of large regional electricity providers as well as industrial manufacturing.
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