Posted on 04/05/2025 3:30:31 PM PDT by SoConPubbie
The Trump administration's drive to revive American manufacturing and power a growing artificial intelligence industry is accelerating with a new nuclear energy project in Texas, The Washington Times reported.
A manufacturing facility in Texas is preparing to switch from natural gas to nuclear power as the Trump administration pushes to expand the use of small modular reactors, or SMRs, to meet rising electricity demand and bolster the U.S. manufacturing base.
This week, Dow Chemical and nuclear engineering firm X-energy submitted a federal construction permit application for a next-generation SMR at Dow's 4,700-acre plant in Seadrift, Texas. The site produces plastics and chemical products used in dozens of applications and will be the first U.S. facility of its kind powered by a grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor.
"This project will demonstrate how the technology deployed at Seadrift, Texas, can be quickly and efficiently replicated to meet incredible power demand growth across America," said J. Clay Sell, CEO of X-energy.
The SMR project is one of several initiatives supported by President Donald Trump to reindustrialize the country and provide clean, reliable energy for artificial intelligence data centers. Within days of taking office for his second term, the president declared a national emergency to speed the construction of new energy plants, including SMRs, which he has described as a priority for energy security and technological leadership.
"These can be built ultrasafe. They are ultraclean, and they're very low-cost. But they are absolutely safe," Trump told supporters in York, Pennsylvania, last August.
Unlike traditional nuclear plants, SMRs are smaller, cheaper to build, and can be constructed in modules. Their design allows for high reliability, reduced carbon emissions, and easier siting since they do not require proximity to large bodies of water.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
“ Given Texas’ population explosion and the state’s blinky power grid in recent years, this is a great idea.”
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IMHO Texas should also back off from its poorly thought out wind power initiatives.
“ What could go wrong? ”
Wrong with what?
Your question makes no sense
Not finished.
If you ever get the chance drive the Texas Coast from Corpus to Galveston or on to Port Arthur. Do it at night first and then day time to be amazed at the scope of of just that part of the American Petro Chemical Industry. I do not believe there is anything else like it in the world. Huge and complex plants appear on the horizon of flat costal plain. They are surrounded by high fences and span square miles with exotic pressure and temperature vessels. Just about every plant is surrounded by auxiliary plants that supply various processing gasses, chemicals, catalysts and services.
The plants supply great and steady jobs.
I spent nearly 50 years drilling for and producing oil and gas to feed these plants and it took me moving to Texas’ Gulf Coast to realize what a massive industry I participated in feeding and just how good but unglamorous the jobs were compared to the feast and famine of the upstream part of the industry.
“Wrong with what?”
It’s new technology. I know little about SMR tech. But when someone says it’s ultra safe it raises my concerns.
It’s much better technology and much safer.
Should had it many years ago
Don’t think it is the one in Haskell County.
The company for that one is Last Energy.
I think this is possibly 2 years out.
Got my start as a young engineer there, in the Olefins 2 unit. It’s gone now. Guess they’ll be building it on the now cleared land.
Dear Donald:
Please start filling that dormant/unused deep waste-storage facility in Nevada with all the old nuclear waste...
Thankyou,
Voter
If we have two manufactures of SMRs in Texas, that will be great.
Hey Elon, Please design She Shed Sized SMR’s that we can put in neighborhoods, and extra large She Shed Sizes that can each run two or three factories. Power that will make liberal heads explode and a working man’s wallet fat !
Nuclear power - We are all going to die.
/s.
I would add a law stating that any environMENTAList, tree hugging, China Syndrome movie worshipping piece of used food caught attempting to monkey around with these is eligible for the death penalty.
Monkey around as in trying to cause a disaster.
You may have seen this article:
Texas A&M Launches SMR ‘Energy Proving Ground’ with Selection of Four Nuclear Firms (Mar 4, 2025)
The one planned near me is not on the list of 4.
Meh, I’ll take a battery of 8” guns!
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