Unit could be built at repurposed fossil fuel facility site
US-based nuclear reactor and fuel design company X-energy and Canadian power producer TransAlta are to study the feasibility of deploying an X-energy Xe-100 advanced small modular nuclear reactor at a repurposed fossil fuel power plant in the province of Alberta.
The two companies said they will evaluate the economics, regulatory impacts, licensing requirements, timelines, and overall suitability of deploying an Xe-100 plant at a fossil fuel plant site.
The study will also focus on identifying and building Alberta-based supply chain partners and vendors and economic benefits for the province. In January X-energy announced that it had successfully completed key milestones in the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s (CNSC) pre-licensing vendor design review for its Xe-100 nuclear power plant.
The Xe-100 is an 80 MW high-temperature reactor that can be scaled into a “four-pack” 320 MW power plant, fuelled by the company's proprietary Triso-X tri-structural isotropic particle fuel.
Plans for initial deployment of the Xe-100 at US chemical company Dow’s Seadrift facility in Texas and a new commercial facility to manufacture Triso-X are receiving support from the US Department of Energy’s advanced reactor demonstration programme.
X-energy has also signed a joint development agreement with utility Energy Northwest for the deployment of up to 12 Xe-100 plants in central Washington State.
