Dow Advances Nuclear Project in Texas, Launches Data Center Cooling Program

Dow and X- energy, a developer of small modular nuclear reactors, announced on May 18 the completion of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)'s environmental assessment for Dow’s proposed advanced nuclear project in Seadrift, Texas. The evaluation of no significant impact moves forward the construction permit application filed by Dow and X-energy.

The proposed Long Mott Generating Station is being developed through Dow's wholly owned subsidiary, Long Mott Energy, under the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. According to the announcement, the facility would supply both electricity and high-temperature industrial steam to Dow's UCC Seadrift Operations, supporting production of more than 4 billion pounds of materials per year. Once complete, the station is expected to be the first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor deployed to serve an industrial site in North America, said Dow.

The NRC completed its environmental review in under one year, according to the announcement. The assessment evaluated potential impacts to air quality, water resources and local species habitats. The companies said the review benefited from X-energy's pre-licensing work on its XE-100 small modular reactor design and a comprehensive permit application.

"This is a significant milestone for the Long Mott Energy project, and we appreciate the comprehensive and efficient manner in which the NRC conducted its assessment," Edward Stones, business vice president, Energy & Climate, Dow, said in a statement. "We are another step closer to expanding access to safe, clean, reliable, cost-competitive nuclear energy in the U.S."

"There are no shortcuts in nuclear safety. Every efficiency has to be earned, and it begins with a complete, high-quality application and technology designed to be intrinsically safe," added Dragan Popovic, chief global operating officer at X-energy.

X-energy's XE-100 is an 80-megawatt high-temperature gas-cooled reactor that uses helium as a coolant, which remains nonradioactive during operation. According to the company, the design's minimal water requirements eliminate major aquatic ecosystem impacts and reduce site disruption during construction.

In a separate announcement issued the same day, Dow launched its Coolant Care Network, a service model designed to help data center operators manage direct-to-chip liquid cooling systems using Dow's heat transfer fluids. According to the company, the network connects data center operators with approved service providers and qualified laboratories, with Dow providing centralized data analysis, technical guidance and escalation support.

The launch reportedly reflects growing demand for liquid cooling solutions as data centers expand to support artificial intelligence and high-performance computing workloads.

The data center cooling market has attracted significant attention from chemical producers. As Chemical Processing reported in August 2025, the heat transfer fluid market is projected to reach $5.4 billion by 2029, with immersion cooling driving much of the growth. Companies including Perstorp, Shell and Chemours have launched new products and partnerships targeting both single-phase and two-phase immersion cooling applications for high-density computing installations.