Blue Energy has filed the first part of a construction permit application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a gas-to-nuclear power plant planned for the Port of Victoria, Texas. The filing, submitted September 16, 2026, covers the project's first nuclear unit and requests approval to begin limited construction activities, including deep foundation and shaft work to house the plant's first small modular reactor. The company also submitted a roughly 300-page environmental report concluding the natural gas portion of the project poses no significant impact to endangered species, tribal lands, or other historical and environmental concerns.
Blue Energy's model pairs an initial natural gas generation phase with a later transition to small modular reactors, an approach the company says can deliver power within 36 months and cut roughly a decade off typical nuclear construction timelines. The Texas site will initially supply 1 gigawatt of power from two GE Vernova gas turbines to an AI data center campus operated by Crusoe, with plans to add 1.5 gigawatts from as many as five GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy BWRX-300 small modular reactors by 2031.
Jake Jurewicz, Blue Energy's CEO and co-founder, said the filing marks a step toward completing the licensing process for what the company describes as the first project-financed gas-to-nuclear power plant of its kind. A second part of the construction permit application is expected in the second half of 2027. Blue Energy, founded in 2023 by researchers connected to MIT's Nuclear Science and Engineering Department, has also secured a strategic investment from Constellation Technology Ventures.
Source: World Nuclear News - https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/blue-energy-submits-first-construction-application-to-nrc