Fermi America plans to file an additional 5 GWe clean energy permit with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to upsize its private power campus (Project Matador) in Amarillo to 17 GWe. The announcement comes two weeks after Fermi received the first six gigawatt permit from the Texas environmental regulator.
Fermi added that, of the planned 17 GWe will include 11 GWe from clean natural gas and 4.4 GWe from nuclear energy, with the remainder provided by solar and battery sources. Fermi said that Project Matador is the only private grid campus with more than 2 GWe to have secured long lead time generation assets, an approved permit, and equipment finance, on top of having a ‘clear path’ to scale to 17 GWe.
“America’s energy needs are surging across every sector – from artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computing to domestic manufacturing, defence, and industrial reshoring. The public grid was not designed to scale at the speed of AI, nor should hard-working Americans foot the bill,’ the company noted. CEO Toby Neugebauer said Fermi “is pleased to steward this land and environment well, while creating additional high-paying jobs and economic development’ in the Texas Panhandle”.
The nuclear construction timeline for Project Matador is designed as a phased rollout to support a 17 GWe private energy campus. The project aims to deliver its first nuclear power in 2031–2032. Fermi America plans to build four Westinghouse AP1000 reactors, totalling 4.4 GWe. Construction of unit 1 is scheduled to start on 31 December following a symbolic groundbreaking proposed for 4 July. The unit is targeted for operation in 2031-32. Subsequent units are planned for commissioning in 2034, 2035, and 2036.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) accepted the first two parts of Fermi’s Combined Operating Licence Application (COLA) in September 2025. A full Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) contract with Hyundai E&C is expected to be finalised in the first half of 2026. Manufacturing of critical components (reactor vessels and steam generators) by Doosan Enerbility was initiated in late 2025 to secure the timeline.
Beyond the four AP1000 units, Fermi is drafting plans for an additional 2 GWe of nuclear power from small modular reactors (SMRs), which are currently in the early evaluation phase. The entire 6 GWe nuclear generation complex (including SMRs) is targeted for completion by 2038. Meanwhile, the campus aims to have 1 GWe operational by late 2026, primarily from clean natural gas and solar as a bridge to nuclear.
