The NRC recently completed an environmental assessment for Long Mott Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, and X-energy’s application to build a first-of-a-kind advanced reactor to power an industrial manufacturing facility in Seadrift, Texas. Following its review, the agency issued a finding of no significant impact, propelling the project forward in the construction permit approval process.
The NRC finding comes less than a year after LME, with support from Sargent & Lundy and its project partner WSP, filed the environmental report. The more than 1,000-page report covers the proposed plant’s design and operations, as well as its land use, air, water, ecology, socioeconomic conditions, and other potential impacts. The NRC issued few requests for additional information based on the level of detail and due diligence included and was able to determine that an environmental assessment “better addresses the project’s limited environmental footprint at an existing industrial location” and allowed for “more efficient review while maintaining rigorous environmental standards.”
Sargent & Lundy has worked with X-energy and Dow since 2022 to support pre-application activities, including site selection, site feasibility, site characterization, and developing the recently approved environmental report. The firm has also supported the preliminary safety analysis report, which is now under NRC review and is expected to be completed by year-end.
The proposed Long Mott Generating Station, being developed by LME under the Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, would replace the company’s existing energy and steam generation plants that are nearing the end of their operating life spans. The plant would be the first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor deployed to serve an industrial site in North America and would provide both electricity and high-temperature industrial steam. Dow produces more than 4 billion pounds of plastics and other materials at the Seadrift plant for multiple industries and is seeking a safe, reliable way to reduce the facility’s emissions.