Google secures 50 MW nuclear power for data centres
A 50 MW advanced nuclear reactor in Tennessee will supply clean energy to Google’s data centres under the first US offtake deal for a generation IV reactor.
Image for illustrative purposes
USA, Tennessee / Alabama: Google has secured a new source of carbon-free electricity for its US data centres in Tennessee and Alabama through a partnership with nuclear technology company Kairos Power and public utility Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
The agreement covers 50 MW from Kairos Power’s Hermes 2 advanced nuclear facility in Oak Ridge, expected to be operational by 2030. Hermes 2 will feed power into TVA’s grid under a power purchase agreement, marking the first-ever offtake deal in the United States for a generation IV reactor.
The project is part of a wider arrangement between Google and Kairos Power to deploy 500 MW of advanced nuclear capacity by 2035. The deal involves multiple small modular reactors (SMRs), aimed at providing reliable clean power to meet the company’s rising digital and AI-related energy needs.
Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s Global Head of Data Center Energy, said the collaboration would accelerate the deployment of innovative nuclear technologies while ensuring firm carbon-free energy for the growing digital economy.
The announcement follows Google’s recent record-breaking corporate power purchase agreement for 3 GW of US hydropower with Brookfield, alongside deals for geothermal and fusion energy. The company has also pledged to invest over $25 B in data centre and AI infrastructure over the next two years.
With global data centre power demand forecast by Goldman Sachs to rise 165 % by 2030, Google’s investment highlights the increasing importance of reliable, carbon-free supply for the technology sector.
Source: Balkan Green Energy News
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