Commercial

Amazon Doubles Down on Nuclear Deployment

By Rachael Zisk
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Image: Amazon

The world’s biggest data companies are only getting bigger, and with that growth comes a need for energy that becomes more urgent with each passing month.

Big tech is looking at many energy sources to meet its growing needs, but it’s clear from all angles that nuclear power will be essential to filling the gap with carbon-free power. Amazon has already hung its hat on large-scale nuclear power for one data center, and now it’s all in on accelerating nuclear deployment for this new era of data processing.

The data giant announced yesterday three major steps to back nuclear development:

  1. An agreement with Energy Northwest in Washington State to build four SMRs, developed by X-energy, and generate at least 320 MW of energy beginning in the early 2030s
  2. A ~$500M strategic investment in X-energy
  3. An MoU with Dominion Energy in Virginia to explore an SMR project colocated at an existing nuclear power plant, adding 300+ MW of new capacity

“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,” AWS CEO Matt Garman said in a release.

X marks the spot: X-energy is developing its Xe-100 small reactor to run on a proprietary fuel called TRISO-X, which it will manufacture to ensure a reliable, lasting fuel supply. Its first reactor deployment in Texas is supported by the DOE’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, which is helping de-risk the new tech ahead of commercial deployment.

“Amazon and X-energy are poised to define the future of advanced nuclear energy in the commercial marketplace,” X-energy CEO J. Clay Sell said in a release.

Everything the light touches: Dominion Energy, Virginia’s largest utility company, is pursuing every form of green power it can get its hands on. On Tuesday, the company announced that it plans to add 21.1 GW of new clean energy capacity over the next 15 years, with 1,340 MW of that coming from nuclear power. Amazon’s support in deploying SMRs will help Dominion stay on budget and reassure future customers and funders on price.

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