On November 10, 2026, nuclear startup X-energy announced that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved construction permits for four Xe-100 small modular reactors at a Dow chemical plant in Texas, each rated at 80 megawatts of electricity and 200 megawatts of heat. The approval, the first for an advanced reactor at an industrial U.S. site, helped X-energy’s shares recover losses, though they remain trading at less than half the IPO price.
The permit validates the SMR pathway that technology firms like Amazon are betting on to power data centers, potentially accelerating low‑carbon industrial electricity supply. However, lingering safety concerns and the high capital cost of the reactors mean the industry’s promised reductions in construction time and cost remain unproven, affecting financing and regulatory scrutiny.