Posted on 03/03/2025 12:16:05 PM PST by george76
Last Energy’s PWR-20 is designed for mass production to scale output to user demand...
Washington-based firm has decided to build 30 microreactors in Haskell County, Texas. Last Energy has obtained control of a 200-acre site to provide power to off-takers via a mix of private wire and grid transmission.
The facility is expected to serve American data center customers across the state. “Texas is the energy capital of America, and we are working to be No. 1 in advanced nuclear power,” said Governor Abbott.
“Last Energy’s microreactor project in Haskell County will help fulfill the state’s growing data center demand. Texas must become a national leader in advanced nuclear energy. By working together with industry leaders like Last Energy, we will usher in a nuclear power renaissance in the United States.”
Crucial role in adding capacity to grid Last Energy revealed that the Northwest Texas project will play a crucial role in adding capacity to the grid and meeting data center deployment projections. Texas is currently home to over 340 data centers which consume nearly eight gigawatts of power and make up nine percent of all Texas electricity demand.
In the Dallas-Fort Worth region alone, data centers are expected to drive an additional 43 gigawatts of demand. Last Energy’s PWR-20 is designed for mass-manufacturability to scale output to user demand. PWR-20, which produces 20 MWe, is fully modular and designed for flexible siting, plug-and-play installation, and rapid scalability.
Nuclear power effective way to meet Texas’ demand Bret Kugelmass, Founder and CEO of Last Energy, stated that Texas is America’s undisputed energy leader, but skyrocketing population growth and data center development are forcing policymakers, customers, and energy providers to embrace new technologies.
“Nuclear power is the most effective way to meet Texas’ demand, but our solution — plug-and-play microreactors, designed for scalability and siting flexibility — is the best way to meet it quickly. Texas is a state that recognizes energy is a precondition for prosperity, and Last Energy is excited to contribute to that mission.”
Last Energy has already filed for a grid connection with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and, following briefings with local stakeholders, is preparing to file for an Early Site Permit (ESP) with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
Two full-scale prototypes developed in Texas Earlier, the company built two full-scale prototypes in Texas with local manufacturing partners. Last Energy has also held multiple demonstration events in Texas with industry and government stakeholders, including in Houston, during CERAWeek 2024. In addition to developing its site in Texas, Last Energy is exploring projects in Utah, according to a press release.
Reed Clay, president of the Texas Nuclear Alliance, stated that Texas’ growing data center industry will require reliable and resilient power sources that operate 24/7.
“Nuclear energy is the self-evident solution to the state’s growing demand. Last Energy’s Haskell County project is a model of how next-generation nuclear can integrate seamlessly into high-demand industries and showcases how innovation can drive both energy security and the future of global connectivity
👍
I want one for my house
More winning, let’s set the example. Let the Dems leave and go elsewhere and buy everything from us.
Any major economic development in the US is effectively impossible if the legal situation isn't changed.
I could use one to run my AC during the summer.
‘clean’ nuclear reactors.
Hilarious.
Crack the seals and see how clean things are...
Great! Our electrical grids are underpowered and vulnerable to going down, but the AI-driven control grid that Larry Ellison wants to monitor and manage our every move will be smoothly powered.
Whatever happened to gas micro-turbines for home heating and electricity?
CC
A near-useless press release.
What size reactor?
What region of Texas?
How are they to be cooled?
How are these small reactor “clusters” to be serviced?
How are they to be placed behind what kind of security fences and barriers?
More people died in Ted Kennedy’s Oldsmobile than died at Three Mile Island.
First I’ve heard of this group. But SMRs are rapidly becoming the answer to providing reliable distributed power.
This is great news if it breaks the back of the eco-Nazi/Lawyer/Government axis that has stifled energy production for so long. That said, natural gas turbine is still the cheapest most plentiful megawatt hours to be had, by a wide margin.
Luddite troll bump.
“How are they to be cooled?”
my first thought as well: handling the waste heat that pretty much ALL industrial-sized power generators output [excepting hydro] is one of the major engineering considerations for power plants ...
...which produces 20 MWe...
The rest, please choke out of reporter.
Nothing new here .
Quite a few American universities have had small scale nuclear reactors for research and training purposes with no problems.
I think Ron Popeil sold them in the 1970s!!! The were called pocket reactors.
, natural gas turbine is still the cheapest most plentiful megawatt hours to be had, by a wide margin.
really ? it is cheaper than Hydro, I don’t think so offhand but would like to know if it is somehow.
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