A new nuclear age for the US? X-energy reveals more on its 214,000-square-foot Tennessee plant with 5-metric-ton uranium capacity

X-energy has recently completed the main structure of its Tennessee fuel plant, TX-1, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The 214,000-square-foot facility, developed by subsidiary TRISO-X, marks the first commercial-scale advanced nuclear fuel facility built domestically in over five decades. The plant utilizes TRISO fuel, which consists of uranium particles encased in multi-layered carbon and ceramic coatings for enhanced durability and heat resistance.

When fully operational, TX-1 is expected to produce approximately 700,000 TRISO fuel pebbles annually, using about 5 metric tons of uranium. This fuel capacity would be sufficient to power up to 11 X-energy's Xe-100 advanced reactor units. Each Xe-100 reactor module generates 80 megawatts of electricity, and four modules combined form a standard 320-megawatt plant.

Initially, TX-1 will supply fuel for X-energy's planned Xe-100 deployment at Dow's UCC Seadrift Operations manufacturing site. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted the plant a 40-year Special Nuclear Material License for operations. X-energy has also expanded its Oak Ridge nuclear fuel campus by approximately 70 more acres of land and commenced construction on a separate facility, TX-L, dedicated to research and development.

Future reactor projects from X-energy, including those with Energy Northwest, Amazon, and Centrica, would further drive demand for the specialized fuel TX-1 is designed to produce.