X-energy


X-energy is an American private nuclear reactor and fuel design engineering company. X-energy is developing a Generation IV high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor design. In January 2016 X-energy was awarded a five-year $53M United States Department of Energy Advanced Reactor Concept Cooperative Agreement award to advance elements of their reactor development. In 2019, X-energy received funding from the United States Department of Defense to develop small military reactors for use at forward bases. X-energy's CEO is Clay Cell, previously Deputy Secretary of Energy of the United States Department of Energy. The company was founded in 2009 by Kam Ghaffarian.

Reactor design

The Xe-100 is a pebble bed high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor design that is planned to be smaller, simpler and safer when compared to conventional nuclear designs. Pebble bed high temperature gas-cooled reactors were first proposed in 1944. Each reactor is planned to generate 200 MWt and approximately 76 MWe. The fuel for the Xe-100 is a spherical fuel element, or pebble, that utilizes the tristructural-isotropic particle nuclear fuel design.