{"id":20480,"date":"2026-10-06T12:06:58","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T12:06:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/?p=20480"},"modified":"2026-10-06T12:06:58","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T12:06:58","slug":"x-energy-and-its-helium-cooled-nuclear-reactors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/?p=20480","title":{"rendered":"X-energy and its helium-cooled nuclear reactors"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-rewritten:<\/strong> This is a summary of an article from MIT Technology Review, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.<\/p>\n

MIT Technology Review • Mark Ellis Harris • October 6, 2026<\/strong><\/div>\n\n

X-energy is developing small modular reactors designed to provide high-temperature heat for industrial manufacturing. Traditional nuclear reactors cannot reach the necessary temperatures because their water-based cooling systems require pressure that limits operating heat. In contrast, X-energy’s proposed Xe-100 reactor uses helium gas as a coolant, allowing it to operate at much higher temperatures and lower pressures. This helium heats water to create super-heated steam, which can generate 80 megawatts of electricity or provide direct industrial heat.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Xe-100 will use TRISO fuel, compact uranium-based pebbles that are resistant to corrosion and melting. The company states the reactor is intrinsically safe; if power is lost and temperatures rise, the nuclear reaction naturally slows and stops. Industrial heating currently accounts for 18 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions, with high-temperature processes being difficult to electrify. X-energy aims to reduce these carbon footprints by co-locating reactors at manufacturing sites or using them for oil recovery and refining.<\/p>\n

Regulatory progress includes a fuel fabrication license for TRISO-X pebbles issued to X-energy’s subsidiary, with the first factory expected in 2028. A project to supply heat and power for a chemical facility in Texas has cleared its first hurdle and could operate by the early 2030s. Other projects include a 320 MW cluster in Richland, Washington, collaborating with Amazon, and a larger fleet planned for the UK’s northeast. Both target electricity generation in the 2030s.<\/p>\n

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Source:<\/strong> MIT Technology Review • Mark Ellis Harris • October 6, 2026<\/p>\n

Read the original article at MIT Technology Review →<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from MIT Technology Review, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story. MIT Technology Review • Mark Ellis Harris • October 6, 2026 X-energy is developing small modular reactors<\/p>\n

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