Amazon the latest to embrace nuclear power with new SMR projects in the US

American multinational giant Amazon is the latest big tech name to turn to nuclear power to fuel their data centre operations in the US.

The company has signed new agreements to support the development of nuclear energy projects, including the construction of several new Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).

Amazon joins Microsoft and Google in announcing plans to incorporate nuclear energy into its transition strategy for carbon-free energy.

Renewable energy success

Speaking at the Climate Pledge summit in New York City, chief executive officer Andy Jassy made note of the fact that Amazon had recently announced it had successfully matched all the electricity consumed by its global operations with 100% renewable energy, seven years ahead of its 2030 goal.

“As the energy needs of our business and customers continue to grow, we’re continuing to invest in renewables while also finding additional sources of carbon-free energy that can both help power our operations and bring new sources of energy to the grid,” he said.

“Nuclear power is one part of that mix—it can be brought online at scale and has a decades-long record of providing a reliable source of safe, carbon-free energy for communities around the world.”

Smaller footprint

Amazon selected SMR technology due to its smaller physical footprint, allowing the reactors to be built closer to the grid with faster build times than traditional reactors and thereby enabling them to come online sooner.

Amazon has signed an agreement with Energy Northwest in the state of Washington to construct, own and operate an SMR that is expected to generate roughly 320 megawatts (MW) of capacity for the first phase of the project, with the option to increase that to 960MW.

A similar agreement has been signed with Virginia utility company Dominion Energy to explore the development of an SMR project near its existing North Anna nuclear power station that will bring at least 300MW of power to the region.