NuScale, X-energy Race for First SMR Licenses

The small modular reactor industry is no longer a research punch line. It is now a regulatory slog. And for operations teams evaluating decarbonization strategies for data centers, chemical plants, and heat-intensive manufacturing, the speed of that slog matters enormously. NuScale Power, backed by Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), has submitted its design certification application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). X-energy is moving forward with its High Temperature Gas Reactor (HTGR) licensing pathway. Both companies are now in what amounts to an intense technical examination that will determine not just whether their reactors are safe, but whether SMRs can actually scale into a meaningful power source for industrial applications by 2028 and beyond.