X-energy and American Electric Power have signed a Joint Development Agreement to study a 12-unit Xe-100 small modular reactor project in Sullivan County, Indiana. The proposed plant would deliver 960 MW on an AEP-owned brownfield site near the former Breed Generating Station. Amazon is providing milestone-based development funding for the feasibility work, though the companies have not disclosed project cost, construction timeline, or a power purchaser. The project is part of a broader Amazon and X-energy collaboration targeting more than 5 GW of new U.S. nuclear capacity by 2039. AEP brings nuclear operating experience, while X-energy contributes its high-temperature gas-cooled reactor design. Indiana state policies, including investment and manufacturing tax credits, are already in place to support advanced nuclear development. For anyone tracking grid decarbonization, this is a project to watch, but the open questions matter. No cost estimate, no offtake agreement, and no schedule mean the 960 MW figure is a proposal, not a commitment. Feasibility work is the first step, and the real test will be whether the project clears interconnection, financing, and construction hurdles.
