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Advancing small modular reactors
A model of a small modular reactor designed by X-energy.We recently announced more than $500 million of investments to develop Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). SMRs are an advanced kind of nuclear reactor with a smaller physical footprint, allowing them to be built closer to the grid and in more places. They also have faster build times than traditional reactors, helping them to come online sooner. We’ve announced an initial SMR project with Energy Northwest in Washington State, and are exploring a second with Dominion Energy in Virginia. These projects will provide nuclear energy to the grid, helping power our operations as well as nearby homes and businesses.
Keeping existing nuclear energy plants operating is one of the fastest and most affordable ways we can ensure carbon-free energy is available at scale. That’s why we’re partnering with Talen Energy to locate a data center campus next to the Susquehanna nuclear facility in Pennsylvania, which can help power our operations. This agreement ensures that the nuclear plant has the funding to keep operating, make necessary repairs, and cover relicensing fees—while also making sure these costs aren’t passed down to local energy users. The project also brings economic benefits for the local communities, including construction jobs, tax revenue, and other forms of support.
Amazon’s investments in nuclear energy projects are expected to provide an economic boost for the local communities in which they reside. In Washington state, the SMR project with Energy Northwest is expected to support up to 1,000 temporary construction jobs and as many as 100 or more permanent jobs. In Pennsylvania, the data center campus near Talen Energy’s nuclear plant is expected to create construction jobs and bring upgrades to local utility infrastructure. Our investment will also help preserve the existing 900 local jobs that help keep the facility up and running.
Future nuclear technologies like SMRs won’t advance if they don’t receive funding support. That’s why we recently invested in X-energy, a leading developer of next-generation SMRs and fuel, through our Climate Pledge Fund. This investment will help advance more than five gigawatts of new nuclear energy projects over the next 15 years.
No company can advance nuclear energy solutions alone, it also takes partnerships with utilities, energy companies, and policymakers. Amazon is collaborating with two utilities in important regions for our customers and data center operations.
- In Washington State, we’re supporting efforts by Energy Northwest to build an advanced SMR project. The reactors are expected to generate roughly 320 megawatts (MW) of capacity for the first phase of the project, with the option to increase to 960 MW total—enough to power the equivalent of more than 770,000 U.S. homes. These projects will help meet the forecasted energy needs of the Pacific Northwest beginning in the early 2030s.
- In Virginia, we’ve signed an agreement with utility company Dominion Energy to explore the development of an SMR project near Dominion’s existing North Anna nuclear power station. This will bring at least 300 MW of power to the Virginia region, where Dominion projects that power demands will increase by 85% over the next 15 years.
We’re supporting research that explores the future of nuclear energy. For example, AWS supported a study released at COP29 by the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) that demonstrates how AI can help us advance nuclear fusion as a new carbon-free energy source.
Before the use of cloud computing and AI, fusion's rate of progress was expected to take years, or even decades. CATF’s research finds that AI can fast-forward research, optimize designs, and improve diagnostics, making this solution a reality sooner.
Investing in new technology that hasn’t been used before or is still being developed is inherently risky and can come with unknowns. At Amazon, we’re a company of innovators and inventors, and we’re used to taking on big challenges. Whether it’s investing in new carbon-free energy technologies like SMRs or reimagining how our data centers can be powered more sustainably, we’re working on meeting our Climate Pledge commitment while also creating solutions that will help our society transition to a brighter energy future.
