Last Energy Seeks NRC Approval to Start Texas Reactor Foundation Work

Last Energy has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to let it begin foundation work for a planned Texas reactor, advancing its effort to develop a 20-megawatt design.

The company submitted an initial component of a construction permit application on Oct. 20. It requested limited work authorization for the facility’s foundation. The reactor, called PWR-20, is a pressurized-water design intended to produce about 20 megawatts of electricity. The PWR-20 uses technology found in most U.S. commercial reactors and fuel nearly identical to commercial low-enriched uranium pellets.

In December 2024, Last Energy joined Texas and Utah in a federal lawsuit challenging a 1956 rule that classifies every reactor as a “utilization facility” requiring an NRC license. The plaintiffs argued that the Atomic Energy Act applies only to reactors relevant to common defense or public health and safety.

Last Energy’s separate PWR-5 pilot is part of the Department of Energy’s Reactor Pilot Program at Texas A&M’s RELLIS campus. The PWR-5 uses the PWR-20’s physical reactor geometry, with reduced fuel enrichment and electrical output scaled to five megawatts. The Department of Energy approved the pilot’s final safety analysis. Last Energy was not among the program participants that had reached criticality by July 4.