NRC Approves Environmental Assessment for Small Modular Reactor at Texas Industrial Site

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently completed the environmental assessment of applications submitted by Long Mott Energy and X-energy, issuing a finding of "no significant impact." This conclusion marks a key milestone in the construction permit review process for the advanced reactor project planned for Seadrift, Texas.

The project plans to build a 320-megawatt small modular reactor at Dow's industrial manufacturing site in Seadrift to provide electricity and high-temperature industrial steam to the facility. Long Mott Energy is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow, and the project intends to deploy X-energy's advanced reactor technology to serve the energy needs of industrial facilities along the Texas Gulf Coast.

The NRC's conclusion is based on a detailed environmental report prepared with the participation of Sargent & Lundy. The report, exceeding 1,000 pages, covers the design and operation of the proposed plant as well as potential environmental impacts on land use, air, water resources, ecology, and socioeconomic conditions. During its review, the NRC raised only a limited number of requests for supplemental information and determined that the environmental assessment adequately demonstrates the project's limited environmental impacts within the existing industrial site, while also helping to improve review efficiency without compromising stringent environmental standards.

Since 2022, Sargent & Lundy has been collaborating with X-energy and Dow to support pre-application efforts, including site selection, feasibility studies, site characterization, and environmental report preparation. The company also assisted in preparing the preliminary safety analysis report, which remains under NRC review and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

The proposed Long Mott Power Station is being advanced by Long Mott Energy under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program and is intended to replace Dow's existing energy and steam production facilities that are nearing the end of their service life. If completed, the project would become one of the first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor deployments at an industrial site in North America, providing both electricity and high-temperature steam for industrial production. Dow's Seadrift facility currently produces plastics and other materials for multiple industries, with annual output exceeding 4 billion pounds, and the company is seeking to reduce site emissions through a more stable, low-emission energy supply.