Nuclear reactor company X-energy Reactor Company, and independent power producer Talen Energy Corporation, announced they have signed a letter of intent to assess small modular reactors across Pennsylvania and the PJM Interconnection Regional Transmission Organization market.
The companies said they will explore opportunities to deploy three or more four-unit Xe-100 plants to support the growing demand for energy. The small modular reactors may be able to add clean baseload capacity, officials said, that will support reliability and increase available energy in light of the growth of manufacturing, data centers and electrification.
According to the agreement, X-energy and Talen will conduct early-stage project development activities, including feasibility studies, site evaluations and a project execution framework in order to assess what opportunities exist to transition from fossil-fired power to nuclear power.
“Our agreement with Talen is an important step forward to strengthen baseload capacity and meet growing energy demands in the PJM market,” Dinkar Bhatia, X-energy’s Chief Commercial Officer, said. “Our small modular reactor technology is uniquely suited to meet these demand opportunities reliably and safely, with the scalability and flexibility to deploy across a range of project sites.”
X-energy’s Xe-100 is an 80-megawatt high-temperature gas-cooled reactor that is aligned to meet the region’s growing energy needs. Deployed as a four to 12-unit plant, with each reactor capable of coming online independently, the SMR’s design allows for efficient use of air-cooling systems, reductions in water usage and more flexibility when it comes to siting, officials said.
