(Chevy Chase, MD) – Blue Energy today announced a regulatory milestone that advances its plans to build the world’s first financeable nuclear power plant and demonstrate the world’s first gas-to-nuclear conversion.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved Blue Energy’s licensing topical report, which supports the company’s innovative approach to resequencing major phases of nuclear plant construction. Under this model, Blue Energy will separate the nuclear and non-nuclear portions of the plant and begin by fabricating offsite and installing onsite non-nuclear, non-safety-significant infrastructure needed for its natural-gas-to-nuclear conversion. This enables fabrication and site energization to begin while the nuclear components continue through licensing and construction.
As a result, Blue Energy can accelerate deployment of new nuclear power by eliminating at least five years off the conventional decade plus nuclear timeline, slashing time to power to 48 months or less with a natural gas bridge to gigawatts of nuclear power, and unlock project financing on a large fraction of the capex for the first time on a nuclear power project.
“NRC approval of our streamlined nuclear deployment strategy adds clarity and predictability to construction and regulatory timelines, lowering the cost of delivering reliable nuclear power. It gives investors confidence that we have a near-term pathway to cost-effectively meet surging U.S. electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing,” said Blue Energy CEO and Co-Founder Jake Jurewicz.
The approved topical report also clarifies which parts of any similar Blue Energy projects require prior NRC approval and which do not, creating a more focused regulatory process for reviewing safety-related and nuclear-specific infrastructure. With this approval in place, this project sets the precedent for future applications, helping to streamline and potentially accelerate the licensing process.
Blue Energy will begin building its recently-announced Port of Victoria, Texas plant in Q2 2026, designed to deliver 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of affordable, reliable power to Crusoe-developed artificial intelligence (AI) factories, and apply to the NRC for a construction permit in 2027.
Support from Bipartisan Permitting Reform Efforts
A key part of Blue Energy’s approach is deploying the world’s first gas-to-nuclear conversions using steam turbines that can transition from natural gas to nuclear power. With the NRC’s approval of a methodology that allows this parallel-track approach, Blue Energy can begin building and operating natural gas infrastructure while the nuclear power generation ramps up, slashing time to power to 48 months or less with a natural gas bridge as gigawatts of nuclear capacity come online.
This licensing pathway has been strengthened by Blue Energy’s qualification under the ADVANCE Act, the bipartisan reform enacted by Congress in 2024 that streamlines the NRC’s licensing process and reduces financial barriers for next-generation nuclear technologies.
“Through the ADVANCE Act, Blue Energy has projected over $20 million in savings on licensing fees. The result: the law is working as intended to make nuclear power more permittable, efficient, and competitive so American-made nuclear power can help the U.S. win the global AI race and provide affordable, reliable power at home,” said Jake Jurewicz.
“This milestone represents meaningful progress, not just for Blue Energy, but for the future of affordable, reliable American nuclear power. We believe it’s possible to make timely and effective licensing decisions that exemplify NRC’s “gold standard” of regulatory rigor, all while enabling the safe use of nuclear energy that our country desperately needs. From our engagement with the NRC to date, we believe Blue Energy’s licensing review can be a positive example of the NRC’s ability to do both,” added CJ Fong, Blue Energy’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs.
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About Blue Energy
Founded in 2023, Blue Energy builds modular nuclear power plants in shipyards – slashing time to power to 48 months with a natural gas bridge fuel. The company’s plant design is reactor agnostic and can quickly deploy affordable, baseload electricity at a price that is competitive with fossil fuels and renewables. Blue Energy stems from MIT’s Nuclear Science & Engineering Department and is backed by The Engine Ventures and At One Ventures. For more information, visit www.blueenergy.co or follow the company on LinkedIn.