GREENBELT, Md., March 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- X Energy, LLC
(X-energy) announced that it has commenced the conceptual design
phase for its Xe-100 high temperature gas-cooled (HTGR) pebble bed
modular reactor. The company also welcomes Clint Medlock, a Southern Nuclear employee, as
Program Management Consultant.
X-energy held a Conceptual Design Readiness Review on
March 8 to validate the baseline
design parameters, preparatory documentation, analysis tools, scope
of the proposed conceptual design phase (including all planned
deliverables), management processes and overall team readiness to
proceed on to the next phase of Xe-100 reactor development.
"This is an important and wonderful milestone. Since I founded
X-energy in 2009 our goal has been to be the world leader in HTGR
design as well as the fuel to power these reactors," said Founder
and CEO Dr. Kam Ghaffarian. "At a
time when our country needs energy and infrastructure security,
moving our Xe-100 into conceptual design puts us well on the way to
meeting our goal of deployment within the near term of 10 years. A
successful conceptual design phase requires thorough planning, a
mature technical baseline, and a workforce committed to creating a
safe, deployable design. I and our external review panel confirmed
our readiness on March 8."
An external panel comprised of industry experts from Southern
Nuclear, Burns & McDonnell, and Technology Insights was engaged
to evaluate X-energy's preparedness to enter the conceptual design
phase. The panel members concluded that X-energy is ready for
Concept Design; each provided their corporate experiential-based
input on being successful during this critical phase of the
project. Based on these results, X-energy launched formal
conceptual design with a kickoff on March
9, 2017.
As part of the conceptual design, X-energy and Southern Nuclear
deepened their relationship by engaging Clint Medlock on X-energy's Xe-100 development
team as Program Management Consultant. Medlock, a 12-year Southern
Nuclear veteran, has 27 years' nuclear industry experience and has
managed several large nuclear design and construction projects.
"I am excited to have Clint as part of our X-energy leadership
team. His nuclear experience, input, and guidance has and will
continue to be invaluable," said Ghaffarian. "We value our
partnership with Southern Nuclear as we move through conceptual
design and look towards deployment." In August 2016, Southern Nuclear and X-energy
entered into a Memorandum of Understanding as a step toward
commercializing and deploying the Xe-100.
"Southern Nuclear and X-energy are well-aligned to allow
advanced nuclear capabilities to be a viable part of energy
solutions," said Southern Nuclear Regulatory Affairs Director
Brian Whitley. "We look forward to
continuing to collaborate in ways that will support a robust future
for nuclear energy and innovation."
About X-energy: X-energy is developing an innovative
nuclear power plant design solution, the Xe-100 advanced reactor
and U.S.-made, proliferation-resistant fuel, which provides
security sustainability for the global energy and process heat
markets. The Xe-100 is a 200MWt (75MWe) high temperature gas-cooled
pebble bed modular reactor. Key attributes of the Xe-100 design are
that it requires less time to construct, with factory-produced
components, physically cannot meltdown and will be "walk-away" safe
without operator intervention during loss of coolant conditions. In
January 2016, X-energy was awarded a
five-year $53M U.S. Department of
Energy Advanced Reactor Concept Cooperative Agreement award to
advance elements of the Xe-100 development. Twitter:
@xenergynuclear; Facebook: facebook.com/xenergynuclear,
www.x-energy.com
About Southern Nuclear: Southern Nuclear, a subsidiary of
Southern Company (NYSE: SO), is a leader among the nation's nuclear
energy facility operators and an innovator in advanced nuclear
technologies. Southern Nuclear is an essential part of Southern
Company's energy portfolio producing clean, safe and reliable
nuclear energy and also serves as an economic engine powered by
quality jobs and community service. Southern Nuclear operates a
total of six units for Alabama Power and Georgia Power at the
Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant near Dothan, Ala.; the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant
near Baxley, Ga., and the Alvin W.
Vogtle Electric Generating Plant near Waynesboro, Ga. Southern Nuclear is the
licensee of two new nuclear units currently under construction at
Plant Vogtle, which are among the first nuclear units being
constructed in the United States
in more than 30 years. Southern Nuclear has received numerous
accolades in 2016 for leadership in the advancement of nuclear
energy including the Special Achievement Award by the United States
Nuclear Infrastructure Council and the Presidential Citation by the
American Nuclear Society. Southern Nuclear also received two of the
Nuclear Energy Institute's Top Innovative Practice awards and a
special recognition for achieving excellence in research and
performance. Southern Nuclear's Plant Hatch received the ANS
Operations & Power Division's Utility Achievement
Award. The company's headquarters is in Birmingham, Ala. Twitter: @SouthernNuclear;
Facebook: facebook.com/southernnuclear
www.southerncompany.com/southernnuclear
Contact:
Melanie White Lyons
mlyons@x-energy.com
301.363.2839
@xenergynuclear
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/x-energy-moves-their-xe-100-advanced-reactor-into-conceptual-design-300424796.html
SOURCE X-energy