A nuclear reactor isn’t the first image conjured by the words “Texas energy.” But that’s quickly changing — and must — as the state’s energy demands balloon.
Texas has never needed more reliable and affordable energy than now. Within five years, electricity demand could more than double, straining our grid by truly Texan proportions, according to a higher-end estimate by ERCOT.
That demand is driven in large part by the rapid growth of new data centers, which are critical to advancing our strategic interests in artificial intelligence. But it’s also about personal choice. With a welcoming business environment, people from across the country have been choosing Texas as the new home for their families and businesses, pushing the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex to become the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the country.
This is a perfect example of the Texas miracle. Yet, the scale and speed of this growth is unprecedented, and we cannot rely solely on existing tools and market incentives. To meet rising Texas demand, we need to embrace a bigger vision for our energy mix. We need to go nuclear.
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The recent executive orders issued by the Trump administration are a clear signal that America — and Texas — are ready to win on nuclear power. They are also an important step toward the bold action needed to ensure American technologies can compete against state-owned entities from Russia and China. We are at a pivotal moment and must act on the opportunity to embrace nuclear energy to protect our country’s energy, technological and economic strength.
Today, reliability matters more than ever. With hot summer days and icy winter nights, the grid is constantly whipsawed between the peaks and valleys of demand. Data centers, with large energy demands of their own, need a stable baseload of power to run smoothly. Curtailing operations even for a short time will incur massive costs.
Nuclear energy is better than any other energy source at consistently producing at expected levels year round. Wind and solar generate only when the weather allows. Natural gas can be ramped up and down, but it can (and often does) face infrastructure constraints, along with other supply chain challenges.
The good news is Texas and its leaders are positioning the state to be the national leader in advanced nuclear energy. Through university-led initiatives, state investment and strong bipartisan support, the momentum for more investment in Texas advanced nuclear has never been greater.
As Jimmy Glotfelty, a former member of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, noted: “Everybody in the nuclear space would like to build plants here in Texas. We are the low regulatory, low cost state. We have the supply chain. We have the labor.” Simply put, we know how to build big things.
My company, X-energy, is proposing to install next-generation nuclear facilities in Texas at commercial scale. We will provide Dow’s UCC Seadrift manufacturing site in Calhoun County with reliable and clean power and industrial steam with our Xe-100 small modular reactors.
Three years ago, China beat the U.S. and connected its first commercial advanced nuclear reactor to the grid. China’s nuclear program is growing faster than any other nation’s. If this trend persists, China will overtake the U.S. as the world’s top nuclear energy producer by 2030. We cannot let China win the advanced nuclear race, and we’re already well behind.
The Texas energy sector has underpinned America’s global dominance in many decades over the last century, supporting communities with good-paying jobs and bolstering national security by reducing our reliance on foreign energy sources. Nuclear is now a critical piece of this energy puzzle, and Texas can — indeed must — lead the next generation of this technology.
The time to expand nuclear energy in Texas is now.
J. Clay Sell is CEO of X-energy. He was deputy secretary of energy in the George W. Bush administration.
