By Richard Meyer and Tom Graves
June 21, 2024
As the Lone Star State wrestles with record-breaking temperatures and increasing energy demand, grid reliability — which is taken for granted in most of the country — has become a major source of debate and urgency in Texas.
Powering our homes and businesses in any weather condition must be a top priority for today, not only for the health and safety of the public, but to achieve economic prosperity. We must also plan for the future by building the flexible energy system of tomorrow. There is one source of reliable, clean energy which is uniquely positioned to help us meet the needs of today and prepare us for tomorrow: nuclear power.
That’s why we’re excited that one of the most innovative next-generation nuclear projects in the nation is being proposed a few hours away from Houston, in the small city of Seadrift.
Last May, Dow and X-energy jointly announced plans to build a small modular reactor (SMR) at a Dow industrial site in the San Antonio Bay town of Seadrift. The Dow site is already a manufacturing powerhouse, employing more than 1,000 people and providing important products for consumers and essential industries in Texas and beyond. The proposed SMR will replace retiring generation to produce cleaner energy for the Dow hub, and the new energy facility will reportedly employ around 100 people full-time — and approximately 1,800 during construction.
Dow and X-energy’s partnership reinforces Texas’ legacy of energy innovation. It's an important part of a flexible energy system that works for all communities — from the energy capital of the world to rural manufacturing towns like Seadrift.
Small modular reactors offer the latest technology for safety and efficiency. As the name suggests, the smaller designs can scale to the energy needs of the industry or local community, reducing transmission burdens. The reactors will produce steam, which can be used to heat industrial manufacturing processes without generating emissions. These next-generation facilities will offer the same reliability we’ve seen with traditional nuclear reactors; however, they also create exciting possibilities for sectors that face unique challenges associated with accelerating clean energy progress.
It’s worth noting that even if this project is new to Texas, nuclear energy isn’t. In 2023, the Comanche Peak and South Texas nuclear power plants accounted for 23% of Texas’ clean energy production, providing 24/7 power, 365 days a year, for Texans’ homes and businesses. The small modular reactor is expected to reduce the Seadrift site's yearly carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 440,000 metric tons — nearly as much as taking nearly 100,000 passenger vehicles off the road.
We’ve seen firsthand the potential of nuclear energy as an engine of clean energy progress, economic growth and job creation. One of us, Richard Meyer, is Calhoun County judge. The other, Tom Graves, is a pro-nuclear former policymaker, and in Georgia, he’s seen a new nuclear project go from planning to reality. Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 are the first new reactors built in the United States in over 30 years.
The Seadrift project reaffirms Texas’ leadership — in clean energy, technology and energy independence. It isn’t just historically innovative hubs of Houston and Dallas, but small towns that are at the vanguard of the future. We’re inspired by the proposed solution for Seadrift to bring more dependable, clean energy to the Lone Star State. We can only hope that Seadrift is one community of many that will recognize the promise and reap the benefits of the next generation of nuclear power.
Judge Richard Meyer is a Calhoun county judge. The Honorable Tom Graves is a former U.S. representative for Georgia’s 14th congressional district.
Photo credit: Michael Holahan, MBR / Associated Press