SGL Carbon to Double Nuclear Reactor Graphite Production Capacity

SGL Carbon and nuclear energy firm X-energy have entered into a binding agreement to double the production capacity of nuclear-grade graphite billets, specifically the NBG-18 material. This expansion is intended to support X-energy's Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor projects.

Under the terms of the agreement, X-energy will invest up to $8 million through milestone-based payments. These funds will be used for new facilities and equipment upgrades at SGL Carbon's site in Chedde, France. The investment will enable the Chedde facility to produce graphite billets for as many as eight Xe-100 reactors annually. SGL Carbon will also expand its machining capacity in the United States for processing these graphite billets into components.

The expansion is projected to double the European manufacturing capacity for NBG-18 graphite by 2030. This agreement builds upon a 10-year Supplier Framework Agreement established in January 2026, which included an initial award worth over $100 million for X-energy's initial commercial projects. The first NBG-18 graphite blocks produced under that award have already been shipped to SGL sites in the U.S. for machining.

NBG-18 graphite serves as a neutron moderator and structural component within the Xe-100 reactor's pebble-bed core. Initial production is slated to support X-energy's first commercial deployment, a proposed four-unit plant with Dow Chemical Company under a U.S. Department of Energy program. SGL Carbon CEO Andreas Klein stated the deal reinforces the company's position in the specialized growth market for nuclear-grade graphite.