X-energy Reactor Company, LLC, and its wholly-owned subsidiary X-energy Canada, Inc. ("X-energy" or the "Company"), today announced the appointment of Dragan Popovic as Executive Vice President and Chief of Global Operations. An accomplished nuclear industry executive with extensive experience in small modular reactor development and nuclear operations, Popovic brings over two decades of proven leadership to accelerate X-energy's commercialization and growth.

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X-energy's Chief of Global Operations Dragan Popovic

“Today, X-energy has one of the largest orderbooks of any SMR developer worldwide, and delivering at that scale requires excellence in execution every single day,” said J. Clay Sell, CEO of X-energy. “Dragan brings deep expertise in nuclear project development, and we are thrilled to have him on our team as X-energy continues to grow.”

Popovic, who will be employed by X-energy Canada, joins the Company from Ontario Power Generation (“OPG”), where he served as Senior Vice President of SMR Project Execution leading the Darlington New Nuclear Project. During his tenure, he successfully guided integrated project teams through critical milestones including site preparation licensing, construction approval, and final investment decisions for the development of OPG’s first small modular reactor project. Prior to this role, Popovic held several leadership positions at OPG at Pickering and Darlington Nuclear Stations, with experience spanning the entire nuclear power lifecycle including financing, licensing, construction, operations, maintenance, and decommissioning of nuclear facilities.

"Throughout my career, I've been privileged to witness the transformative impact of the nuclear industry firsthand, for the electric grid, the economy, and the communities it serves,” said Popovic. “With a new generation of nuclear technology on the horizon, I am thrilled to be joining X-energy in this important moment.”

X-energy’s initial deployment is planned for Dow’s UCC Seadrift Operations Center on the Texas Gulf Coast, and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. In addition, X-energy and Amazon have committed to the goal of more than 5 GW of new nuclear by 2039, beginning in Washington state with Energy Northwest’s Cascade Advanced Energy Facility. The Company also recently signed a Joint Development Agreement with Centrica to deploy 6 GW of new nuclear capacity and the United Kingdom’s first advanced reactor fleet. To support a stable domestic fuel supply for its reactors, X-energy is also constructing a first-in-the-nation commercial advanced nuclear fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Together, X-energy’s portfolio aims to offer a grid-scale solution for utilities, industrial customers, and hyperscalers and is designed to deliver safer, more reliable power at full commercial scale.

About X-Energy Reactor Company, LLC

X-Energy Reactor Company, LLC, is a leading developer of advanced small modular nuclear reactors and fuel technology for clean energy generation that is redefining the nuclear energy industry through its development of safer and more efficient advanced small modular nuclear reactors and proprietary fuel to deliver reliable, zero-carbon and affordable energy to people around the world. X-energy’s simplified, modular, and intrinsically safe SMR design expands applications and markets for deployment of nuclear technology and drives enhanced safety, lower cost and faster construction timelines when compared with other SMRs and conventional nuclear. For more information, visit X-energy.com or connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

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“Dragan brings deep expertise in nuclear project development, and we are thrilled to have him on our team as X-energy continues to grow.”