X-energy supercharges US reactor fuel ambitions with major 70-acre Oak Ridge expansion

Maryland-based reactor developer X-energy is adding about 70 acres to its nuclear fuel campus in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, giving the company more room to expand production and build additional facilities as it develops fuel for advanced reactors. The newly acquired land sits next to TRISO-X’s existing site at Horizon Center Industrial Park. The purchase takes the company’s total footprint from about 125 acres to more than 180 acres. TRISO-X, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-energy, is already building its first commercial fuel facility, known as TX-1. The additional land will provide space for utility corridors, equipment staging, fuel storage and future expansion. The move comes as the company works to establish a large-scale US supply chain for TRISO fuel, a type of nuclear fuel designed for high-temperature reactors. X-energy plans to use the fuel in its Xe-100 small modular reactor, which is being developed for commercial power generation. More land, bigger plans The expanded site gives TRISO-X room to develop two more facilities alongside TX-1. The company’s longer-term plan calls for TX-2, a second commercial fuel facility, and TX-L, a dedicated research and development center. “This milestone allows us to better plan for long-term development, and expand our vision for the world’s leading nuclear innovation campus,” said Joel Duling, President of TRISO-X. The expansion also builds on nearly a decade of work in East Tennessee. X-energy and TRISO-X began operations in the region in 2016 and continue to operate a pilot fuel line at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. That experience has helped the company reach two significant milestones. TRISO-X received what X-energy describes as the first commercial license from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for HALEU fuel fabrication. Its fuel is also undergoing irradiation testing at Idaho National Laboratory as part of the qualification process for the Xe-100 reactor. Building fuel capacity The company says the additional acreage will be important as demand for advanced reactor technology grows in the US and allied markets. Having fabrication and research facilities on one campus could also allow TRISO-X to expand production while continuing development work. The expansion follows a July 2026 award from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s Nuclear Energy Fund. The funding is supporting continued development of the fuel campus, including the planned second commercial facility and research center. The project is also expected to support economic development in Roane and Anderson counties while adding capacity to Tennessee’s established nuclear industry. For X-energy, the larger site is ultimately about having enough physical capacity to move from pilot-scale work to commercial fuel production. If the planned facilities are completed, the Oak Ridge campus would combine fuel manufacturing, storage, research and development in one location, creating a larger base for the company’s reactor projects.