Google plans to buy electricity from next-generation nuclear reactors. The company announced the deal yesterday, which is the world’s first corporate contract to purchase power from advanced small modular reactors (SMRs) still in development.
Google has signed the contract with engineering company Kairos Power, which aims to have its first SMR operational by 2030. Google agreed to buy electricity from “several” reactors to be built by 2035.
Google needs much more clean energy to meet its climate goals while pursuing its AI ambitions. New nuclear technologies have not yet been tested on a large scale, but there is hope that they can deliver carbon-free electricity while solving some of the problems posed by traditional nuclear power plants.
“The evolution of AI investments has increased the scope of the task required”
“Obviously, the evolution of AI investments has increased the scale of the task required,” CEO Sundar Pichai said in an interview with Nikkei earlier this month. “We are now looking at additional investments, be it solar, and evaluating technologies such as small modular nuclear reactors, etc.”
What sets Google apart in this deal is that it is betting on next-generation reactors rather than traditional nuclear power plants. In comparison, SMRs are about a tenth to a quarter as large. Their size and modular design are intended to make them cheaper and easier to build and deploy than their larger predecessors. And unlike solar and wind energy, which fluctuate depending on the weather and time of day, nuclear power plants can generate electricity around the clock. However, even with new reactor designs, environmental and health concerns still exist when it comes to mining and enriching uranium for reactors and radioactive waste storage.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission certified a design for a small modular reactor for the first time last year. Experts tell us The edge They don’t expect the first SMRs to be connected to U.S. power grids until the early 2030s at the earliest, and big tech’s interest in nuclear power appears to be giving the industry a boost.
Google says the deal with Kairos Power would ultimately help add up to 500 MW of carbon-free energy to the U.S. power grid. Kairos broke ground on its first demonstration reactor in Tennessee in July.
“A multi-stakes agreement is important to accelerate the commercialization of advanced nuclear energy by demonstrating technical and market viability,” said Jeff Olson, vice president of business development and finance at Kairos Power, in a news release.