The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) hascompletedits environmental assessment for the Long Mott Generating Station, a proposed four-reactor Xe-100 project at Dow’s Seadrift, Texas site.
📆#NRCNews: We've completed our environmental assessment of the proposed Long Mott Generating Station ahead of schedule.https://t.co/aQ2Lf548Lxpic.twitter.com/MznwpfQjTz
A Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) wasissuedafter the review wrapped upin under a year.
The NRC hasdramatically shortenedreview timelines across multiple advanced reactor projects in recent months. We have previously covered how the agency has cutlicense renewal times by roughly halfand completed several first-of-a-kind reviews well ahead of historical norms.
"6–12 Months For Construction Permits" - The Nuclear Regulation Overhaulhttps://t.co/Zrsj6FTvy6
The Long Mott project is backed by the Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). The four reactors are intended to supply power to Dow’s large chemical manufacturing operations, with the potential forhigh-temperature process steamto be explored at a later stage.
If completed, it would be among the first grid-scale advanced reactors dedicated to serving an industrial site in North America.
The project still faces a recentregulatory nuisance. In February, the NRCgranted interventionto the San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper on a contention that Long Mott Energy, the Dow subsidiary developing the project, has not sufficiently demonstrated its financial qualifications.
The assertion is hard to take seriously. Dow is one of the largest chemical companies in the world, and X-energy counts Amazon among its major backers. Yet the financial qualifications issue will now proceed to a hearing.
Other contentions raised by Waterkeeper, including challenges related to the reactor design and environmental impacts, were rejected by the Board.
Source: ZeroHedge News
