The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved a construction permit for four advanced small modular reactors (SMRs) at chemical company Dow’s Seadrift chemical manufacturing complex in Texas, marking a significant step towards deploying nuclear energy directly at US industrial facilities.

The approval, announced on Monday (9 November) by X-energy and Dow, is for the Long Mott Generating Station, making it the first advanced nuclear facility approved for an industrial site in the US.

X-energy and Dow said the “historic milestone” was achieved under the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, an initiative designed to accelerate the development, testing, and commercial deployment of advanced nuclear reactors through cost-shared partnerships with private industry.