Google and Constellation Energy announced a 20-year nuclear-power agreement this week that will boost output at 11 existing reactors across Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey to feed the incredible power needs of AI data centers.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the deal centers on an 890-megawatt power-purchase agreement. Upgrades at the plants amount to adding a new large reactor to the grid, and Constellation, the country’s largest owner of nuclear-power reactors, is calling it the largest-ever “uprate” project between a nuclear-power provider and a tech company. The company plans to invest more than $4.3 billion in the plants. The first uprate project is expected in 2028, and construction on the rest will continue through 2032 or 2033.
Google and Constellation also struck a separate 15-year supply deal for an additional 2,700 megawatts of electricity in the PJM power market, which covers the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. The companies plan to work together on new power generation, battery storage and demand response programs as well.
“These are expensive things to be done, and we’ve known that we could do this for a number of years now,” said Joe Dominguez, Constellation’s chief executive. “But it’s really Google stepping up to the plate and providing the financial backing for us to be able to bring on what is effectively a new reactor.”
Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s global head of energy and power, said the company wanted power that could come online quickly without compromising its environmental goals. “The speed to firm, clean power in a responsible way was incredibly important to us,” she said, adding that the deal comes “in a moment where data centers are under a lot of criticism.”
The agreement is the latest in a run of moves by Google to lock in nuclear power. Last month, the company said it would support nuclear-plant upgrades in Georgia. It’s also working with NextEra Energy to restart the Duane Arnold Energy Center, a nuclear reactor in Iowa, and has partnered with reactor developer Kairos Power to buy electricity from its projects.
