The Lone Star State is positioning itself as the most pro-nuclear state in the union, and industry is taking notice. The latest to take up the reins in Texas: microreactor developer Last Energy.
On Friday, Last Energy announced that it secured a site in Haskell County in north Texas, near Abilene, to build 30 microreactors totaling 600 MW of capacity for the grid.
“Texas is the energy capital of America, and we are working to be No. 1 in advanced nuclear power,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement to the company. “Last Energy’s microreactor project in Haskell County will help fulfill the state’s growing data center demand. Texas must become a national leader in advanced nuclear energy.”
Why Texas? Last Energy is positioning itself to meet the growing power demand from data centers, especially in Texas, where more than 340 data centers operate today—and where load growth could drive a 43 GW increase in demand by 2029, per Grid Strategies.
“Texas is experiencing a demand surge, which, coupled with its ascent as a data center ecosystem, makes this project a compelling opportunity,” Last Energy SVP of Commercial Michael Crabb told Ignition via email. “The need for, and support for, nuclear power in Texas has created a promising environment for microreactors.”
Still on track: Last Energy’s strategy has previously focused on deploying its microreactors in European markets, identifying the UK as its first partner. That’s still the case for the company’s first deployments.
- “Companies are looking for ways to sidestep the restraints of the grid, but there’s also a pronounced emphasis on industrial decarbonization—due to customer demand, investor demand, regulatory obligations—in the UK,” CEO Bret Kugelmass told Ignition last year.
- Last Energy plans to build its first microreactor in Wales in 2027 as part of a four-reactor project.
Get moving: Plans are already in motion for the Texas project. The company has secured a 200+ acre site, filed for grid interconnection with ERCOT, and begun pre-application activities for an NRC license.
Lead Reporter of Ignition
