Next- generation nuclear deal signed by Google
Energy Northwest: Designing and Operating Small Modular Reactors for the Next-Generation Nuclear Power Plant in the USA, a Press Release
In the US, an estimated 500 MW of carbon-free energy would be brought to power grids by the end of the deal with Kairos Power. The first demonstration reactor broke ground in Tennessee in July.
Back in 2020, Google set a goal of running on carbon-free energy around the clock by 2030. It also committed to slashing its planet-heating pollution in half by 2030 compared to a 2019 baseline. Its total greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 48 percent in the last year, according to its environmental report.
The scale of the task needed has been added to by the trajectory of investments in Artificial intelligence, according to CEO Sundar Pichai. “We are now looking at additional investments, be it solar, and evaluating technologies like small modular nuclear reactors, etc.”
These projects are subject to regulatory approval, and could still have a negative impact on the economy. A design by a company called NuScale Power was certified to be the first small modular reactor in the US by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NuScale had to scrap its plans to build a demonstration power plant after facing soaring costs.
An agreement for a number of deployment is necessary in order to show the technical and market viability of nuclear energy, according to the press release.
Amazon is also investing in the startup X-energy, which is developing an advanced nuclear reactor design that’s expected to be used in the Energy Northwest project. Energy Northwest would ultimately build, own, and operate the reactors. It’s been exploring plans for a nuclear facility using X-energy’s high-temperature gas-cooled reactor design, Xe-100, since 2020.
In Virginia, the company is working with AMAZON to develop a project near its nuclear power station. Virginia is a hub for energy-hungry hyperscale data centers, and Dominion expects electricity demand in the state to double over the next 15 years. The SMR project with Amazon would be able to generate 300MW of power if it comes to fruition.
Unlike wind and solar farms, nuclear reactor are able to generate electricity even when there is no sun or a time of day when it is warm. Nuclear power plants are also faster to build and easier to site than SMRs.
Nuclear energy is still being opposed by advocates due to the environmental and health risks that come with mining and enriching, for example, for use in reactors.
Johanna Neumann, senior director at the Environment America Research and Policy, called on Big Tech tocommit to solutions that pose less risk to our environment and health and make data centers more energy efficient.
