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US Issues Construction Permit for Advanced High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor

Recently, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) officially issued a construction permit for the Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor to the Long Mott project in Texas, marking an important milestone in the history of commercial high-temperature reactor development in the United States. The project is led by X-energy, with Fluor serving as the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor, and has been incorporated into the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). It plans to build 4 Xe-100 modules with a total electric power capacity of 320 MW, focusing on industrial cogeneration of heat and power, and will provide stable electricity and high-temperature process steam at 565°C to the Dow chemical complex. With the two core reviews—safety assessment and environmental impact assessment—both fully...

2026-11-13

U.S. NRC Issues First High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Construction Permit in Nearly Sixty Years

Recently, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) formally issued a construction permit to Dow's Long Mott Generating Station in Seadrift, Texas. The plant will be equipped with four Xe-100 small modular reactor units developed by X-energy, marking the first high-temperature gas-cooled reactor construction permit issued in the United States in nearly 60 years and representing a historic breakthrough in the commercial deployment of advanced nuclear energy in the country. The Long Mott Generating Station is being developed by Long Mott Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dow, in partnership with X-energy, as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program...

2026-11-11

Construction of Nuclear Island of China's First Commercial High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Nuclear Power Unit Begins

Recently, China's first commercial nuclear power unit adopting the HTR-PM600S reactor facility officially reached a key construction milestone at the Xuwei Nuclear Power Plant in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, with the first concrete pour for its nuclear island foundation successfully completed. The project belongs to China's independently developed High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) series, known by the brand name Chilong One, marking a substantive step forward in the large-scale commercial application of China's fourth-generation nuclear power technology. Chilong One was jointly developed by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and Tsinghua University, with fully independent intellectual property rights. The HTR-PM600S project unit...

2026-11-10

US NRC Issues First Construction Permit for High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor

Recently, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) formally issued a construction permit to the Long Mott Generating Station in Texas. This is the first approval of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor construction in the United States in more than half a century, and the third advanced reactor construction permit issued this year, marking a historic step forward for fourth-generation advanced nuclear technology on the path to commercialization. The project is jointly advanced by advanced nuclear developer X-energy and chemical giant Dow, with plans to build four Xe-100 High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors at Dow's Seadrift Operations site in Texas...

2026-11-10

North China Regional Office of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment Conducts Pre-Criticality Inspection of Shidao Bay High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor

Recently, in order to effectively consolidate the primary responsibility of the operating unit, closely focus on the important milestone of criticality following the overhaul, and comprehensively drive the improvement of the safety level of the demonstration project, the North China Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision Station of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (hereinafter referred to as the North China Supervision Station) organized and conducted the pre-criticality inspection of the reactor following the second overhaul of the High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Demonstration Project at the Huaneng Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Plant. As the world's first fourth-generation nuclear power plant independently developed by China with fully independent intellectual property rights, the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor holds milestone significance for China in achieving scientific and technological self-reliance and leading the world in nuclear energy technology. The North China Supervision Station deeply recognizes the major mission of supervising the world's first reactor of its kind, and has carried out coordinated planning and formulated...

2026-11-06

America's First "Large Reactor in a Chemical Plant" Clears the Hurdle: X-energy Xe-100 Ushers in the Conclusion of Safety Review and a Key Springboard to Commercialization

In the global race to industrialize advanced nuclear energy technologies, the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor is reaching a milestone. In late October 2026, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) formally issued the Final Safety Evaluation Report (FSER) for the construction permit application of the Long Mott Generating Station, proposed to be built at Dow Chemical's Seadrift site along the Texas Gulf Coast. This means that the Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, developed by X-energy with an installed capacity of 320 megawatts electric, has successfully passed the most central safety examination at the U.S. nuclear regulatory level, clearing...

2026-11-03

MEPhI Develops Non-Destructive Testing Device for Microfuel of High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors

Recently, the research team led by Tatyana Borisovna Aleyeva, Associate Professor of the Department of Theoretical and Experimental Physics of Nuclear Reactors at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), announced that it is about to complete the development of an experimental device for non-destructive testing of uranium content in fuel compacts for innovative high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR). It is reported that the helium temperature at the core outlet of the 200 MW HTGR under design can reach 850°C, aiming to provide high-potential heat for large-scale nuclear hydrogen production process stations (AETS). Its fuel uses graphite cylindrical compacts with a height of 5 cm and a diameter of 12.5 mm, each...

2026-11-03

Innovating the Safety Review Pathway to Strengthen the Safety Foundation of High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors — National Nuclear Safety Administration Approves Safety Design Criteria for High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors

Recently, the National Nuclear Safety Administration approved the Safety Design Criteria for the High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor of the Jiangsu Xuwei Nuclear Heating and Power Plant (hereinafter referred to as the Safety Design Criteria). This document further refines the specific safety requirements for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, provides a foundational basis for the safety design of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, and serves as an important basis for subsequent safety review. This is China's first approved safety design criteria for small nuclear power reactors (hereinafter referred to as small nuclear power reactors), marking that the safety review of small nuclear power reactors has explored a new pathway led by safety design criteria. I. Relevant Background: The Rapid Development of Small Nuclear Power Reactors Calls for Innovation in Review Methods. In recent years, global advanced nuclear energy technologies have been accelerating their evolution...

2026-09-30

CNNC Signs Cooperation Agreement with IAEA in High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Field

On September 14 local time, on the opening day of the 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, a China exhibition themed "Small Modular Reactors and Comprehensive Utilization of Nuclear Energy" opened concurrently. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, Director of the China Atomic Energy Authority Shan Zhongde, Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations Office at Vienna and Other International Organizations and China's Permanent Representative to the IAEA Li Song, and CNNC General Manager Zhang Tao jointly visited the exhibition and witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement in the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor field between China Nuclear Energy and the IAEA. Grossi inquired in detail about nuclear energy innovation solutions and comprehensive utilization including high-temperature gas-cooled reactors and Linglong One, and expressed interest in the progress of China's small modular reactor construction...

2026-09-15

Shidaowan High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Demonstration Project Launches Mobilization and Deployment for Second Major Overhaul

On September 9, Shidaowan Nuclear Power Company held a mobilization meeting for the second major overhaul of the High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Demonstration Project, deploying the overall arrangements and control requirements for the HS-OT002 overhaul. Zhang Yanxu, Chairman and Party Committee Secretary of Shidaowan Nuclear Power Company, delivered a mobilization speech. Chang Chongxi, Overhaul Commander-in-Chief, General Manager, and Deputy Party Committee Secretary, presided over the meeting. Members of the leadership team attended the meeting. Zhang Yanxu stated that the High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Demonstration Project is a landmark project of China's independent innovation in fourth-generation nuclear power, and its safe and stable operation has drawn attention from relevant departments, the nuclear power industry, and employees of Shidaowan Nuclear Power Company. The demonstration project has operated safely and stably for 473 consecutive days, during which multiple...

2026-09-10

UK think tank calls for clear nuclear reactor technology roadmap to support nuclear expansion

On September 8, 2026, UK think tank Policy Exchange released a white paper stating that the UK government needs to more clearly articulate which nuclear reactor technologies it will rely on to advance the so-called nuclear golden age, and to strengthen the supply chain and achieve economies of scale through batch construction. Policy Exchange's Nuclear Enterprise Committee is composed of experts from government, industry, and academia. The committee believes that the UK's civil nuclear strategy is at a critical stage, and related decisions will affect the country's energy system for decades to come. The white paper points out that given that new small modular reactor technologies are still in the early stages of development, the UK government should retain the option of building another large-scale nuclear...

2026-09-09

Hiconics Signs Contract for Main Helium Circulator Variable Frequency Drive Project at Xuwei Nuclear Heating and Power Generation Plant

Recently, Hiconics signed a contract for the main helium circulator variable frequency drive (VFD) project for the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) at the Jiangsu Xuwei Nuclear Heating and Power Plant, and will supply multiple sets of HC2000W four-quadrant water-cooled high-voltage VFDs for the project. This marks the second application of Hiconics' VFD technology in drive scenarios for key equipment related to Generation IV nuclear power, following the HTGR demonstration project at Huaneng Shandong Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Plant. The Jiangsu Xuwei Nuclear Heating and Power Generation Project is a comprehensive nuclear energy utilization project that adopts a coordinated operation model of "nuclear reactor – turbine generator unit – heating system," focusing primarily on industrial heating while also supplying electricity. Phase I of the project plans to construct two Hualong One pressurized water reactors and one HTR-PM600S high-temperature gas-cooled reactor...

2026-09-02

TU Delft participates in innovative projects on compact reactors and molten salt reactors

The MOOI Kernenergie nuclear funding programme, operated by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), has recently selected four innovative projects to support research and development in reactor and fuel cycle technologies, radioactive waste storage, and geological disposal solutions. TU Delft is involved in three of these projects, with researchers from its Reactor Institute participating in the MARLIN and PRONTO projects. The MARLIN project focuses on compact modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) for industrial, maritime, and offshore applications. Based on measurement data and models, the project consortium will develop and validate a reactor prototype capable of simultaneously providing electricity and high-temperature process heat, with a focus on industrial clusters as well as maritime and offshore scenarios.

2026-08-26

India plans to build at least five domestically designed small modular reactors by 2033, and reports on nuclear power plant safety assessments

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha on August 12, Jitendra Singh, India's Minister of State for Atomic Energy, stated that a key objective of the Indian government under its nuclear energy mission is to develop and operationalize at least five domestically designed small modular reactors by 2033. According to the briefing, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is advancing the design and development of indigenous small modular reactor (SMR) technology, with projects including the 220 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200) and the 55 MWe SMR-55 for power generation. BARC is also developing a High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGCR) with a capacity of up to 5 MW, which can be coupled with suitable thermochemical cycles for hydrogen production. Singh stated that India...

2026-08-13

"High-Precision Analysis Technology and Engineering Application of Multi-Physics, Multi-Scale, Strongly Coupled High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor" Passes Scientific and Technological Achievement Appraisal, Reaching Internationally Leading Level

On August 7, the China Nuclear Energy Association organized a scientific and technological achievement appraisal meeting in Beijing for the high-precision analysis technology and engineering application of multi-physics, multi-scale, strongly coupled high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. Ye Qizhen, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, served as the leader of the project review panel. The expert group unanimously agreed to pass the achievement appraisal, recognizing it as reaching an internationally leading level. Xu Weiqiang, General Manager of the Nuclear Energy Research Institute, attended the meeting, and Liu Wei, Director of the Reactor Engineering Institute, delivered a special report. This achievement was completed through five years of joint research by Huaneng Nuclear Energy Technology Research Institute and Xi'an Jiaotong University, targeting world-class challenges such as strong multi-physics coupling in the core of pebble-bed high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, limited in-core temperature measurement points, and complex bypass flow paths. For the first time internationally, it established...

2026-08-12