Week 6 of 2025
Three nuclear energy innovation news!
♨️ X-energy raises a $700 million Series C-1 financing round, with investors including Segra Capital Management LLC, Jane Street, Ares Management Corporation, and Emerson Collective. The funds will advance the completion of the Xe-100 reactor design, licensing, and the initial phase of the TRISO-X fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Each Xe-100 reactor has a power rating of 80 MWe. The company is developing its initial plant at Dow’s UCC Seadrift Operations manufacturing site on the Texas Gulf Coast.
🏗️ Blykalla starts the construction of the Advanced Reactor Testing Site near Oskarshamn, Sweden, to house the SEALER-E lead-cooled prototype reactor, aiming to validate critical components and safety systems. The project, supported by a SEK99 million grant from the Swedish Energy Agency, involves collaboration with partners including Uniper, ABB, NCC, and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Construction is expected to be completed by June 2025, with testing commencing in the third quarter of 2025.
🏎️ The UK government has announced reforms to expedite nuclear power plant construction in England and Wales, including small modular reactors (SMRs). These reforms allow new plants to be built beyond the previously designated eight sites, provided they meet stringent safety and environmental criteria. Additionally, the government plans to establish a Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce to streamline regulations and facilitate the development of new nuclear projects.
👨🎓 Papers of the week: "Neutron flux impact on rate of expansion of quartz", Journal of Nuclear Materials.
👉 Concrete can self-heal when exposed to nuclear radiation.
