The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has completed its Environmental Assessment for Dow (NYSE: DOW) and X-energy (NASDAQ: XE)'s proposed advanced nuclear project in Seadrift, Texas, issuing a Finding of No Significant Impact.

The regulatory milestone advances the Construction Permit Application for the Long Mott Generating Station, which is being developed through Dow's subsidiary Long Mott Energy under the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. The project would provide electricity and high-temperature industrial steam to Dow's UCC Seadrift Operations.

The NRC completed its environmental review in under one year following an independent analysis of potential impacts to air quality, water resources, and local species habitats. The assessment benefited from X-energy's pre-licensing work on its XE-100 small modular reactor design.

The companies' Construction Permit Application included a 1,000-page Environmental Report supported by year-long field surveys, groundwater monitoring wells with 12 months of water quality measurements, and engagement with Texas state agencies including the Texas Historical Commission, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and Texas General Land Office.

"This is a significant milestone for the Long Mott Energy project," said Edward Stones, business vice president for Energy & Climate at Dow.

X-energy's XE-100 is an 80 MW high-temperature gas-cooled reactor. The reactor uses helium coolant that does not become radioactive during operation and requires minimal water compared to conventional nuclear plants.

Once complete, Long Mott Generating Station would be the first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor deployed to serve an industrial site in North America, according to the companies. The facility would power production of more than 4 billion pounds of materials annually at Dow's operations.