{"id":377686,"date":"2025-05-08T17:53:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T15:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=377686"},"modified":"2025-05-08T17:53:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T15:53:11","slug":"the-rise-of-the-first-smr-in-the-us-a-new-chapter-in-pragmatic-energy-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=377686","title":{"rendered":"The Rise of the First SMR in the US: A New Chapter in Pragmatic Energy Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Charles Rotter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A quiet energy revolution is underway in the heart of West Texas. Abilene, a small town on the edge of the Permian Basin\u2014America\u2019s largest oil-producing region\u2014is now home to the first Small Modular Reactor (SMR) under construction in the United States. In a moment laced with irony and historical significance, the energy stronghold known for oil and gas is pivoting, not away from its roots, but toward a bold expansion into nuclear power. And not just any nuclear, but advanced molten salt technology, designed to redefine safety, scalability, and reliability in power generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project, outlined in Ed Ireland\u2019s Substack pos<\/a>t, is more than a technical novelty. It represents a critical litmus test for the future of American energy policy, offering a real-world alternative to the centralized planning disasters of Net Zero dogma. Instead of subsidized solar farms and wind turbines cluttering up the grid with unreliable power, we are seeing investment flow into nuclear innovation that operates on real physics and genuine potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Ireland explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cA small West Texas town on the east edge of the Permian Basin, Abilene, Texas, has become the epicenter of a groundbreaking development in the United States\u2019 energy landscape by building the nation\u2019s first Small Modular Reactor (SMR).\u201d

https:\/\/edireland.substack.com\/p\/the-first-smr-small-modular-reactor<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In September 2024, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued its first construction permit for a research reactor in decades, giving the green light to Abilene Christian University (ACU) to begin building the SMR on its campus. Andrea Veil, NRC\u2019s director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThis is the first research reactor project we\u2019ve approved for construction in decades, and the staff successfully worked with ACU to resolve several technical issues with this novel design.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/edireland.substack.com\/p\/the-first-smr-small-modular-reactor<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

That kind of bureaucratic clarity and execution is practically unheard of in the sluggish world of regulatory politics\u2014a refreshing development, even if long overdue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SMRs like the one being built in Abilene are fundamentally different from the massive, billion-dollar nuclear plants of the past. According to the post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cSMRs are compact, factory-built systems designed to produce between 50 and 300 megawatts of electricity\u2014enough to power tens of thousands of homes. Their modular design allows for faster construction, lower upfront costs, and enhanced safety features.\u201d

https:\/\/edireland.substack.com\/p\/the-first-smr-small-modular-reactor<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

What makes the Abilene project unique is its focus on molten salt technology. The design features passive safety systems\u2014meaning if something goes wrong, it shuts itself down without needing human intervention or external power. In a world obsessed with \u201cclimate resilience,\u201d that sounds like a genuinely useful feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast to the typical parade of government grants and green subsidies, this SMR project is being bankrolled the old-fashioned way: through private capital, particularly from the oil patch itself. Ed Ireland writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe initial funding for the Abilene SMR project came from wealthy West Texas oilmen. Natura\u2019s founder and longtime Texas oilman, Douglas Robison, donated over $30 million to ACU to create the advanced nuclear lab.\u201d

https:\/\/edireland.substack.com\/p\/the-first-smr-small-modular-reactor<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s right\u2014oilmen, not climate activists, are leading the charge for nuclear. Why? Because they understand energy and risk, unlike the bureaucrats trying to force-feed us inefficient wind and solar under the guise of sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research backbone of this project is impressive. The team is not just tinkering in a lab\u2014they\u2019re backed by the NEXT Research Alliance, which includes heavyweights like the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M, and Georgia Tech. This alliance has secured a $30.5 million research agreement to support licensing and infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a country that has talked itself into believing that green jobs and wind farms are our future, this project is a refreshing case of energy realism:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cAfter years of hype about SMRs reviving nuclear power in the US, it is encouraging to see a project finally being built.\u201d

https:\/\/edireland.substack.com\/p\/the-first-smr-small-modular-reactor<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, and it\u2019s not just being built\u2014it\u2019s being built well<\/em>, privately<\/em>, and with a clear mission: to provide reliable, scalable, and safe power without the delusions of utopian carbon accounting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The greatest irony\u2014gently noted by Ireland\u2014is that this innovation is happening in the shadow of the Permian Basin:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe whiff of irony is that the first SMR in the US is being developed in the backyard of the largest oil and gas field in the US\u2026 But if production in the Permian Basin ever starts declining\u2026 the region now has a backup plan\u2014being the SMR capital of the world!\u201d

https:\/\/edireland.substack.com\/p\/the-first-smr-small-modular-reactor<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t about replacing oil or bowing to climate alarmism. It\u2019s about building redundancy and resilience\u2014principles sorely lacking in the top-down vision of energy policy emanating from the climate summit circuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If anything, the Abilene SMR represents a throwback to American ingenuity and a potential pivot toward energy pluralism: oil, gas, and nuclear working in concert\u2014not competition\u2014to meet the needs of a nation that still runs on power, not press releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the final analysis, this is a project to celebrate\u2014not because it checks some ideological box, but because it works. It\u2019s funded privately, regulated rationally, and constructed in a community that understands energy. That, in today\u2019s climate of technocratic fantasy, is a rare and welcome development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

H\/T Paul Homewood<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A quiet energy revolution is underway in the heart of West Texas. Abilene, a small town on the edge of the Permian Basin\u2014America\u2019s largest oil-producing region\u2014is now home to the first Small Modular Reactor (SMR) under construction in the United States. In a moment laced with irony and historical significance, the energy stronghold known for oil and gas is pivoting, not away from its roots, but toward a bold expansion into nuclear power. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":377689,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691834947,691818154,691818206,691826663,691823137],"class_list":{"0":"post-377686","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-molten-salt-technology","9":"tag-net-zero","10":"tag-nuclear-power","11":"tag-small-modular-reactor-smr-2","12":"tag-west-texas","14":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1456%2C816&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1AfI","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":390867,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=390867","url_meta":{"origin":377686,"position":0},"title":"Small modular reactors are a game-changer for Africa and the world","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"26\/07\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"For South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, where electricity deficits stifle growth, small modular reactors (SMRs) offer a promising solution.","rel":"","context":"In \"Electricity Crisis\"","block_context":{"text":"Electricity Crisis","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=electricity-crisis"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":360990,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=360990","url_meta":{"origin":377686,"position":1},"title":"Unshackling Nuclear Energy: The Case Against the NRC\u2019s Overreach","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/01\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In the high-stakes world of energy production, nuclear power remains one of the most promising technologies for meeting global demand while minimizing emissions. 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