Building A Nuclear Plant That Can’t Melt Down

About this episode

In this episode of FYI, Daniel Maguire and Tasha Keeney speak with J. Clay Sell, CEO of X-energy, about the company’s approach to reinventing nuclear power with advanced small modular reactors. Sell explains X-energy’s TRISO fuel and helium-cooled reactor design, why the company believes safety and repeatable construction can drive nuclear costs lower, and how regulatory reform is accelerating deployment. They also discuss X-energy’s partnership with Amazon, the role of AI in nuclear engineering and licensing, competition with China, supply-chain constraints, and Sell’s vision for making nuclear power abundant, affordable, and easy to buy. Key Points From This Episode: • 00:00:00 Highlights and intro  • 00:02:58 Clay Sell's background and X-energy's goal of reinventing how nuclear is deployed  • 00:05:23 Why a pebble-bed, high-temperature gas-cooled design — and moving nuclear down the cost curve  • 00:10:09 TRISO fuel, helium coolant, and why a reactor that can't melt down needs fewer safety systems  • 00:16:44 Building a fuel business alongside the reactor business, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license for commercial fuel fabrication  • 00:20:01 Why Sell’s be