X-energy

X‑energy develops advanced high‑temperature gas‑cooled pebble‑bed reactors (Xe‑100) and TRISO fuel. Founded in 2009 by Kam Ghaffarian and led by CEO Clay Sell, the Rockville, MD company has secured DOE and DoD funding for its modular reactors.

By Noah Smith

Published: July 29, 2025, 10:14 am

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X‑energy develops advanced high‑temperature gas‑cooled pebble‑bed reactors (Xe‑100) and TRISO fuel. Founded in 2009 by aerospace entrepreneur Kam Ghaffarian, the Rockville, Maryland company is led by CEO Clay Sell and has secured DOE and DoD funding.

Founded: 2009 by aerospace entrepreneur Kam Ghaffarian; headquartered in Rockville, Maryland; CEO is former Deputy Secretary of Energy Clay Sell.
Technology: Develops Generation IV high‑temperature gas‑cooled pebble‑bed reactors (Xe‑100) and TRISO fuel.
Funding & programs: Received U.S. Department of Energy funding through the Advanced Reactor Concepts program (2016) and the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (2020), and secured Department of Defense funding in 2019 to explore small reactors for forward operating bases.
Mission: Aims to deploy safe, modular nuclear reactors for commercial and defense applications.