Washington Xe-100 reactor site

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Cascade Advanced Energy Facility
CountryUnited States
LocationBenton County, near Richland, Washington
Coordinates46°27′58″N 119°18′47″W / 46.466°N 119.313°W / 46.466; -119.313[1]
StatusProposed
OwnerEnergy Northwest
OperatorEnergy Northwest
Nuclear power station
Reactor typeHTGR
Reactor supplierX-energy
Power generation
Make and modelXe-100
Units planned12 × 80 MW
Nameplate capacity960 MW total[2]

The Cascade Advanced Energy Facility is a proposed nuclear power plant, to be located near the Columbia Generating Station in the state of Washington by the 2030s. Developed in partnership with Amazon, the site would house up to 12 Xe-100 small modular reactors designed by X-energy. It would be X-energy's second power plant after the Long Mott Generating Station due to be finished by 2030.[2]

The operator will be Energy Northwest, the operator of Columbia Generating Station, the only nuclear power station in the Pacific Northwest.[3] As of 2026, X-energy was engaged in pre-application activities with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but had not applied for a construction permit.[4]

History

X-energy had previously considered the site for deployment of 4 Xe-100 units of X-energy's 80 MWe Xe-100 small modular reactor under the Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program,[5] and signed a memorandum of understanding with Energy Northwest to develop the project.[6] However, the company chose to construct the units in partnership with Dow Chemical Company at the Long Mott Generating Station in Texas.[7]

Energy Northwest and X-energy signed an agreement in July 2023 for the deployment of up to 12 Xe-100 modules at the Washington site.[6] On October 16, 2024, Amazon.com announced it would fund the construction of four Xe-100 reactors, in partnership with Energy Northwest and X-energy, due to the increased electricity demand from the AI boom.[8] The project was named the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility.[9] Amazon also committed to fund the deployment of up to 5 GW of Xe-100 reactors. The project was expected to begin construction by 2030, with operations commencing in the mid-2030s.[10]

Opposition

The site is opposed by environmental groups including the Oregon Conservancy Foundation, who oppose new small modular reactors in general.[11]

References

  1. Gregoire, Don; Gorden, Milton (c. 2022). "Subsurface Investigation Approach – Xe-100 Project on Former WNP-1 Site" (PDF). Energy Northwest – via U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
  2. Stiffler, Lisa (July 19, 2023). "Next-gen nuclear reactor company signs deal to build up to 12 reactors in Washington state". Geekwire. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via MSN.
  3. Ellenbecker, Lauren (July 20, 2023). "Energy Northwest signs deal for nuclear project in Central Washington". The Columbian. Vancouver, Washington. Retrieved July 21, 2023. the small modular reactor project will be developed adjacent to the Columbia Generating Station in Richland, the region's only commercial nuclear energy facility
  4. "Cascade Advanced Energy Facility (Cascade)". Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 2026-04-16. Retrieved 2026-04-30.
  5. Patel, Sonal C. (2020-12-17). "DOE Picks More ARDP Winners; One or More Advanced Nuclear Demonstrations Will Be in Washington State". POWER. Retrieved 2026-04-23.
  6. "Multiple Xe-100 SMRs planned for Washington State". World Nuclear News. 2023-07-19. Retrieved 2026-04-23.
  7. Pearl, Larry (2023-07-20). "Energy Northwest, X-energy sign joint development agreement for up to 12 small modular reactors". Utility Dive. Retrieved 2026-04-23.
  8. "Amazon funding construction of 4 nuclear reactors on the Columbia River". Portland: KPTV. October 28, 2024.
  9. "Cascade Advanced Energy Facility". Energy Northwest. Retrieved 2026-04-23.
  10. Patel, Sonal C. (2025-10-15). "Amazon Unveils 'Cascade'—Energy Northwest's Xe-100 SMR Project, Targeting Construction by 2030". POWER. Retrieved 2026-04-23.
  11. Frank, Joshua (July 20, 2023). "The Pacific Northwest Is Experiencing an Atomic Energy Renaissance". The Nation. Retrieved July 21, 2023.

Further reading