Google and Kairos Power to Collaborate on Advanced Nuclear Plant with TVA

Google, Kairos Power, and Tennessee Valley Authority have partnered to deploy an advanced nuclear plant, Hermes 2, which will provide up to 50 megawatts of energy to Google data centers in Tennessee and Alabama. This is the first U.S. utility to sign a power purchase agreement with an advanced, GEN IV reactor. The partnership aims to decarbonize Google's data center operations and support future growth in the region.

Google, Kairos Power, and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) have announced a groundbreaking partnership to deploy an advanced nuclear plant, Hermes 2, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The project aims to provide up to 50 megawatts (MW) of energy to Google's data centers in Montgomery County, Tennessee, and Jackson County, Alabama. This initiative marks the first time a U.S. utility has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with an advanced, Generation IV (GEN IV) nuclear reactor [1].

Under the agreement, TVA will purchase electricity from Kairos Power's Hermes 2 plant, scheduled to begin operations in 2030. This collaboration will enable Google to receive clean energy attributes from the plant, further decarbonizing its data center operations [2]. The partnership also supports Kairos Power's goal of developing 500 MW of advanced nuclear capacity by 2035 [3].

The Hermes 2 plant, utilizing fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor technology, is set to increase its output from 28 MW to 50 MW, demonstrating the potential of advanced nuclear reactors to meet growing energy demands [3]. This project not only supports Google's data center operations but also aligns with TVA's commitment to integrating innovative, firm energy sources to support the development of new clean generation within its service territory [2].

The collaboration underscores the growing interest in nuclear power among utilities and tech companies to meet clean energy and data center demand. Data centers, essential for supporting AI development and cloud services, are one of the factors driving significant electricity demand. According to a study published by EPRI last year, data centers could consume up to 9% of U.S. electricity generation by 2030 [3].

The deployment of advanced nuclear reactors is essential to U.S. AI dominance and energy leadership. The Department of Energy has assisted Kairos Power with overcoming technical, operational, and regulatory challenges as a participant in the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program [3]. This collaboration is an important enabler to making advanced nuclear energy commercially competitive, and it could only be made possible by close collaboration with TVA and Google, and a supportive local community [3].

References:
[1] https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/sustainability/google-first-advanced-nuclear-reactor-project-with-kairos-power-and-tennessee-valley-authority/
[2] https://www.power-eng.com/nuclear/smrs/google-tva-and-kairos-power-partner-on-first-gen-iv-nuclear-ppa/
[3] https://kairospower.com/external_updates/google-kairos-power-tva-collaborate-to-meet-americas-growing-energy-needs/