In today’s construction news, learn about MIDLAND, MI. and ROCKVILLE, Md., March 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — X-Energy Reactor Company, LLC (“X-energy”) and Dow (NYSE: DOW) announced that they have applied for a construction permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) for a proposed advanced nuclear facility near Seadrift, Texas. On the other hand, the necessity of preserving all the connotations of “home” is highlighted in that discussion. We should build and restore our homes with an eye towards sustainability and resilience against the inevitable possibility of future fire and weather-related disasters. Finally, a state transportation contractor plans to start building next week to enhance the five-lane segment of U.S. 64 between the Melvin R. Daniels Bridge (Little Bridge) and the Washington Baum Bridge in Dare County.
Dow and X-energy Send USNRC Construction Permit Application for Proposed Advanced Nuclear Project in Texas
Original Source: Dow and X-energy Submit Construction Permit Application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for Proposed Advanced Nuclear Project in Texas
Midland, Mich. and Rockville, Md., March 31, 2025/PRNewswire/ — Dow and X-Energy Reactor Company, LLC (“X-energy”) submitted a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) for an advanced nuclear project near Seadrift, Texas.
Dow’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Long Mott Energy LLC, is developing its advanced small modular reactor (“SMR”) project. Dow’s UCC1 Seadrift Operations manufacturing site (“Seadrift” or the “site”) will receive safe, dependable, and clean electricity and industrial steam to replace near-end-of-life energy and steam assets. The DOE’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (“ARDP”) supports the project through cost-shared collaborations with U.S. industry to speed advanced reactor implementation.
Since 2018, X-energy and Dow have engaged with the NRC in intensive pre-application engagements to establish the Xe-100 advanced SMR’s unmatched safety profile through its improved fuel design, passive safety measures, and cutting-edge analysis tools. This resulted in a thorough application submittal that surpasses NRC rules for public health and safety and environmental protection with significant safety measures.
Construction permit approval is a crucial stage that could take 30 months. Construction can commence if Dow confirms it can deliver the project and meet financial return criteria and receives the permit. Dow predicts that unsubsidized energy costs will be comparable to other clean energy options.
“This is an important next step in expanding U.S. access to safe, clean, reliable, cost-competitive nuclear energy,” said Dow Energy & Climate business vice president Edward Stones. “We look forward to engaging with the NRC, DOE, our business partners and the community throughout the application process.”
“The construction permit application is a critical step to deliver on Congress and DOE’s vision to position the U.S. at the forefront of commercializing advanced reactor technology,” said X-energy CEO J. Clay Sell. “Together with our world-class partner, Dow, we will demonstrate how the technology deployed at Seadrift, Texas, can be quickly and efficiently replicated to meet incredible power demand growth across America.”
The project could start development later this decade and early next decade. The nuclear power and steam assets would eliminate most Scope 1 and 2 emissions and keep the site competitive for the life of the plant.
In 2020, the DOE selected X-energy to design, license, and build an operational Xe-100 advanced SMR and TRISO-X fuel fabrication facility. After receiving that award, X-energy finished the nuclear reactor’s engineering and basic design, began developing and licensing a fuel production plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and raised $1.1 billion in private financing to commercialize its technology. Long Mott Generating Station will be North America’s first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor for industry.
Dow’s Seadrift site produces over 4 billion pounds of materials annually for food packaging and preservation, footwear, wire and cable insulation, solar cell membranes, and medical and pharmaceutical packaging on 4,700 acres.
You can download photos of the XE-100 reactor and plant rendering.
Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) is a premier materials science company servicing high-growth markets such packaging, infrastructure, mobility, and consumer applications. Our worldwide breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation, leading business positions, and sustainability commitment enable profitable growth and a sustainable future. About 36,000 individuals work at our 30 countries’ factories. Dow sold $43 billion in 2024. The Company is Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. Visit www.dow.com to learn about our mission to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive, and sustainable materials science company.
About X-Energy Reactor LLC
X-Energy Reactor Company, LLC is a leading developer of advanced small modular nuclear reactors and fuel technology for clean energy generation, redefining the nuclear energy industry with safer, more efficient reactors and proprietary fuel to provide reliable, zero-carbon, and affordable energy worldwide. X-energy’s streamlined, modular, intrinsically safe SMR design widens nuclear technology’s uses and markets and improves safety, cost, and building time compared to other SMRs and conventional nuclear.
Wildfires Teach Smarter Construction
Original Source: What wildfires teach us about smarter construction
The L.A. wildfires displaced hundreds and showed how susceptible our constructed environment is. Having survived the 2018 Woolsey Fire in Malibu, I understand the rebuilding challenges. In my April 2024 TEDx lecture, “How building a home in four weeks can influence four generations,” I discussed the emotional and financial toll of losing a home and why we must reconsider rebuilding. That discussion emphasizes the need to build (and restore) our homes with sustainability and resilience in mind to prevent future weather- and fire-related disasters.
A revolutionary fire-resistant housing approach
I’ve been using disaster lessons to build wildfire-resistant homes since 2019. Azure Homes, my company, employs modern prefab technology to build sustainable, fire-resistant homes.
Beyond technology, we need a change in housing design and construction. My book, From Ashes to Action: A Survivor’s Guide to Rebuilding After Wildfire, offers practical options for homeowners, policymakers, architects, and builders to enhance fire resilience. Here are some book highlights:
Fire-resistant homes—what creates them?
By examining recent wildfires, we can see home survival patterns:
Radiant heat doesn’t ignite fire-rated siding and decks.
Tempered double- or triple-pane windows resist intense heat.
Ember-resistant vents keep embers out of attics and crawlspaces.
Class A roofs are the most fire-resistant roofing materials.
However, homes with untreated wood siding, single-pane windows, unprotected vents, and non-class A roofs burn quickly.
Beyond materials: Terrain and weather impact
Fire spreads through landscapes and architecture. Risk is greatly affected by:
Slope: Uphill fires ignite vegetation faster.
Wind: Moves embers kilometers, starting new ignitions.
Vehicles, fences, and adjoining homes can spread fires unexpectedly.
Risk reduction needs defensible space, smart urban planning, and proactive vegetation management.
How homeowners can develop resilience
Wildfires will occur in California and abroad, but homeowners may lessen risk:
Clear dry vegetation and utilize fire-resistant landscaping.
Stronger construction codes: Follow post-2008 fire-resistant construction regulations.
Smart fireproofing: Consider modular, prefabricated, or 3D-printed dwellings for speed and safety.
Community emergency readiness: Participate in Firewise USA to strengthen neighborhoods.
Policy and innovation must cooperate.
Climate change is worsening fires, therefore politicians must act. Recent executive orders have accelerated rebuilding in L.A., but we need long-term commitments:
Faster fire-resilient construction approvals: Pre-approved designs and modular solutions can considerably save rebuilding time.
Increased fire-resistant zoning: Intelligent land-use policy can prevent high-risk development.
Home fireproofing incentives: Fire-resistant retrofit grants and lower insurance premiums can stimulate adoption.
Future rebuilding: Smarter, safer
Wildfire recovery requires thought as well as rebuilding. We have the technology and knowledge to build disaster-resistant dwellings. Prefabricated and 3D-printed dwellings are a cost-effective, scalable alternative that reduces labor and increases resilience.
This moment is unpleasant but also an opportunity. These fires must inform how we build future homes—stronger, safer, and ready for anything.
U.S. 64 Construction in Dare County Begins Next Week
Original Source: Construction to start next week on U.S. 64 in Dare County
In Dare County, a state transportation contractor will begin construction next week to improve the five-lane U.S. 64 between the Melvin R. Daniels Bridge (Little Bridge) and the Washington Baum Bridge.
On April 2, the Raleigh-based Fred Smith Company will begin milling and resurfacing between the two bridges to allow another crew to bore an emergency waterline next to the Washington Baum Bridge. The transportation contractor will resurface the Daniels bridge access parking lot during this phase. Work is expected to finish April 14.
The contractor will demobilise to work for Kill Devil Hills and give Dare County’s boring contractor time to finish the waterline.
Fred Smith personnel will then finish the five-lane section of U.S. 64 from the Washington Baum Bridge to the Virginia Dare Bridge by May 9. Weather affects work schedules.
The work is part of a larger initiative to upgrade U.S. 64 and Dare County roads and bridges. September’s $2.4 million contract from the N.C. Department of Transportation went to Fred Smith Co.
Traffic patterns have changed, so drivers should slow down and drive carefully through the work zone.
Summary of today’s construction news
In summary, since DOE awarded the contract in 2020, X-Energy has completed the nuclear reactor’s engineering and preliminary design, started the development and licensing of a fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and secured about $1.1 billion in private capital to commercialize its technology. When the Long Mott Generating Station is finished, it will be the first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor deployed to serve an industrial site in North America. X-energy was chosen to develop, license
On the other hand, rethinking is just as important as rebuilding after a wildfire. Our expertise and technology allow us to build homes that can withstand these calamities. Cost-effective and scalable, prefabricated and 3D-printed dwellings increase resilience while lowering labor dependency.
Finally, the forthcoming work is part of an ongoing initiative to rehabilitate numerous parts of U.S. 64 and neighboring Dare County roads and bridges. The N.C. Department of Transportation awarded the Fred Smith Co. with a $2.4 million contract to finish the work in September.
