Amazon Goes Nuclear With Its Carbon-Free Energy Efforts

Recently, Microsoft announced that it partnered with Constellation Energy Corporation in a 20-year power purchase agreement that includes restarting Constellation's Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear plant’s Unit 1.

The same plant’s Unit 2 was shut down in March 1979 for bringing in a partial nuclear meltdown that became known as one of the most serious radiation leaks in US history.

Of course, the two companies aren’t reviving the plant that was decommissioned over four decades ago but will reignite the adjacent Unit 2, which shut down in 2019 for economic reasons.

The move aimed to generate large amounts of carbon-free energy to produce the insatiable power needs of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology.

At the same time, it was a big step in the direction of sourcing eco-friendly energy.

This was followed by a move by Google, which revealed that it was signing the world’s first corporate agreement to purchase nuclear energy from multiple small modular reactors (SMR), developed by Kairos Power.

This added to a wide range of efforts taken by Google over the years to leverage clean renewable energy sources.

Now, a day after Google’s move, Amazon announced a series of similar deals – three to be exact – as per their news release and accompanying video.

The deals will support the development of Amazon’s ongoing nuclear energy projects and will include constructing several new Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).

SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors with smaller physical footprints that can be built faster than traditional ones, which allows them to be built closer to the grid.

Energy Northwest - Washington

Amazon is partnering with Energy Northwest, a public power agency leading in the development of next-generation nuclear technologies, to develop four advanced SMRs.

The facilities will be constructed, owned and operated by Energy Northwest.

They are expected to generate around 320 megawatts (MW) in its initial phase in central Washington.

This could be increased to 960 MW, which would be enough to power 770,000 homes in the United States.

Amazon will fund the initial feasibility phase of an SMR project planned to be near Energy Northwest's Columbia Generating Station nuclear energy facility in Richland, Washington.

X-energy - Washington

Amazon also announced an investment in X-energy, a leader in advanced nuclear reactor and fuel technology, which will be used to enhance the Energy Northwest project.

The two aim to bring more than 5 gigawatts online in the United States by 2039, the largest commercial deployment target of SMRs to date.

X-energy's latest Series C-1 financing round of approximately $500 million was anchored by Amazon.
The investment will help meet growing energy demands by funding the completion of X-energy's reactor design and licensing and more.

Dominion Energy - Virginia

Here, Amazon signed an agreement with utility company Dominion Energy, which is a regulated electricity provider to 3.6 million homes and businesses in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

The move includes exploring innovative new development structures to advance potential SMR nuclear development in Virginia, near Dominion’s existing North Anna nuclear power station.

The plan is to bring at least 300 megawatts of power to the Virginia region, enabling Dominion projects that power demands to increase by 85% over the next 15 years.

TechDogs-"An Image Of An AWS Data Center That Uses Clean Energy"

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Ahead of this, the projects will provide an economic boost for the local communities they’re situated in. This includes creating up to 1,000 temporary construction jobs in the Energy Northwest project.

With an investment in Talen Energy (Pennsylvania) that includes building a data center campus, Amazon will help preserve the 900 local jobs that are already there.

The moves come soon after Amazon announced that it met its goal of powering its facilities, including data centers, corporate buildings, grocery stores and fulfillment centers, with 100% renewable energy. The goal was initially set for 2030, meaning Amazon reached it 7 years earlier than planned.

What Did AWS’ CEO Say About Amazon’s Nuclear Plan?

Matt Garman, the CEO of AWS, said, “Nuclear is a safe source of carbon-free energy that can help power our operations and meet the growing demands of our customers, while helping us progress toward our Climate Pledge commitment to be net-zero carbon across our operations by 2040.”

“One of the fastest ways to address climate change is by transitioning our society to carbon-free energy sources, and nuclear energy is both carbon-free and able to scale—which is why it’s an important area of investment for Amazon.”

“Our agreements will encourage the construction of new nuclear technologies that will generate energy for decades to come.”

Do you think the moves made by Microsoft, Google and now Amazon will inspire other tech conglomerates to follow suit and invest in small modular reactors to power their energy needs?

Let us know in the comments below!

First published on Thu, Oct 17, 2024

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Artificial Intelligence (AI)Emerging Technology Artificial Intelligence AI Generative Artificial Intelligence Generative AI GenAI Amazon Nuclear Power Energy Consumption Clean Energy Small Modular Reactors SMR

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