X-energy and SGL Carbon have signed an agreement to expand production capacity for nuclear-grade graphite used in X-energy's Xe-100 advanced nuclear reactor, increasing manufacturing capacity for a key long-lead material supporting future reactor deployments.

Under the agreement, X-energy will invest up to $8 million in milestone-based payments to expand SGL Carbon's production facilities in Chedde, France. According to the companies, the upgrades will enable production of graphite billets for as many as eight new Xe-100 reactors annually while doubling European manufacturing capacity for NBG-18 graphite by 2030. SGL also plans to expand U.S. machining capacity for graphite components.

NBG-18 graphite serves as both a neutron moderator and structural component in the Xe-100 reactor's pebble-bed core. The companies said the investment is intended to strengthen supply chain resilience for safety-critical reactor materials as X-energy advances its commercial deployment pipeline.

The agreement builds on a 10-year supplier framework signed in January 2026, which included an initial three-year award valued at more than $100 million. Initial graphite billets produced in France have already been shipped to the United States for machining following prototype validation work at X-energy's Technology Advancement Center in Frederick, Maryland.

The expanded manufacturing capacity is expected to support X-energy's first commercial deployment with Dow under the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. Earlier this year, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission completed its environmental assessment for the proposed Long Mott Generating Station in Seadrift, Texas, moving the project closer to supplying nuclear-generated electricity and industrial steam to Dow's manufacturing complex.