Amazon-backed X-energy sweet talks investors into another $700M for small modular reactor dream

Amazon-backed nuclear energy startup X-energy says it has booked orders for 144 small modular reactors (SMRs) which will eventually deliver over 11 gigawatts of power, assuming that they actually get built. And investors continue to support this vision.

On Monday, X-energy revealed that it had gotten Jane Street and a slew of other private equity firms to deliver a $700 million Series D funding round to keep the lights on while the startup waits for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to sign off on a four-unit deployment of its Xe-100 reactors at Dow's Seadrift Operations manufacturing site in Texas.

The Xe-100 is a fourth-generation high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor capable of producing 80 MW of power over its 60-year operational life. The startup claims the cash infusion will help to shore up its supply chains and attract new customers.

Nuclear power, and in particular SMRs, has become a hot topic amid ...