Superior nuclear reactor firm X-energy started buying and selling Friday because the AI growth and electrification broadly spark a flurry of curiosity within the nuclear business.
The inventory opened at $30.11, after upsizing its preliminary providing, pricing at $23 per share — forward of the preliminary vary of $16 – $19 per share. The corporate raised greater than $1 billion, making it the most important nuclear public providing on file. Shares final traded 26% increased.
The corporate’s xe-100 reactor is 80 megawatts, and may be bundled along with further reactors to scale as much as 960 megawatts. The xe-100’s mannequin is a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor. Along with producing electrical energy, its excessive temperatures imply it may be utilized in hard-to-decarbonize industrial purposes similar to chemical manufacturing.
The entire nuclear reactors at present in operation within the U.S. are gentle water reactors.
The corporate has but to start building on any of its reactor services, however it already has an order pipeline of greater than 11 gigawatts due to partnerships with corporations together with Amazon, Dow and Centrica.
Previous to going public, the corporate raised greater than $1.4 billion – most not too long ago a $700 million Sequence D fund in November – with backers together with Amazon, Jane Road, ARK Make investments, Citadel’s Ken Griffin and Ares Administration funds. The corporate has additionally acquired funding from the U.S. Division of Vitality.
X-energy is the primary sizable superior reactor firm to pursue a standard IPO route, after rivals Oklo and NuScale went public by way of SPAC transactions. X-energy beforehand pursued an inventory by way of a SPAC merger, however in the end deserted that plan in 2023.
The corporate’s enterprise mannequin can be completely different from a few of its rivals, because it doesn’t plan to personal and function nuclear crops. Reasonably, it would license its know-how. X-energy will even promote nuclear gasoline that is produced at its fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the place building started in 2025.
X-Vitality’s TRISO Facility.
Courtesy: X-Vitality
In March 2025, X-energy and Dow submitted a building allow software to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Fee for his or her proposed undertaking in Seadrift, Texas. The assessment course of is predicted to take 18 months, and is a part of a two-step course of, which additionally consists of making use of for an working license.
X-Vitality can be working with Amazon to deploy 5 gigawatts throughout the U.S. by 2039. The primary undertaking can be a 320-megawatt facility with Washington utility Vitality Northwest, the businesses beforehand introduced.
