Amazon and Energy Northwest on Oct.16 announced an agreement to fund efforts to move toward development and deployment of small modular reactor technology in Washington state to advance reliable energy across the Northwest.
“As the demand for energy resources continue to rise, Energy Northwest and Amazon recognize the urgent need to develop advanced technologies in the Pacific Northwest that provide reliable, carbon-free and sustainable energy generation. SMRs offer a promising solution to that need through scalable and flexible energy output,” Energy Northwest and Amazon said.
Through the agreement, Amazon will fund the initial feasibility phase of an SMR project, which is planned to be sited near Energy Northwest's Columbia Generating Station nuclear energy facility in Richland, Washington.
“As a member of Washington's business community, Amazon is committed to investing in new nuclear energy technologies that can help power our operations and provide net-new, safe sources of carbon-free energy to the grid," said Kevin Miller, Amazon's Vice President of Global Data Centers. “We're proud to be working with Energy Northwest, a utility company that's also thinking big about meeting society's growing energy demands while addressing climate change.
“We are excited about this collaboration with Amazon and are impressed with their vision for helping develop new nuclear technologies and their desire to also make this resource available to utilities in the future," said Greg Cullen, Vice President for Energy Services & Development at Energy Northwest.
“We've been working for years to develop this project at the urging of our members, and have found that taking this first, bold step is difficult for utilities, especially those that provide electricity to ratepayers at the cost of production. We applaud Amazon for being willing to use their financial strength, need for power and know-how to lead the way to a reliable, carbon-free power future for the region," he said.
The SMRs will be the Xe-100 design, a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor developed by X-energy, a global leader in advanced nuclear reactor and fuel technology.
Each Xe-100 module can provide 80 megawatts of full-time electricity. Energy Northwest and X-energy have engaged extensively on plans for an Xe-100 facility since 2020.
Under the agreement, Amazon will have the right to purchase electricity from the first project (four modules), which is expected to generate 320 megawatts of energy capacity.
Energy Northwest has the option to further build out the site by adding up to eight additional modules (640 MW) resulting in a total project generating capacity of up to 960 MWs. This additional power will be available to Amazon and northwest utilities to power homes and businesses.
As the owner and operator of Columbia Generating Station, the Pacific Northwest's only nuclear generating facility, and as a developer and operator of additional clean energy and storage resources, Energy Northwest is well-equipped to develop this project.
“This collaboration between Energy Northwest and Amazon demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in driving innovation and accelerating the progression of sustainable energy solutions. It also paves the way for public power entities to develop and build future SMRs to help meet the region's growing energy demands,” Energy Northwest and Amazon said.
Energy Northwest, a joint action agency, comprises 28 public power member utilities, serving more than 1.5 million customers.
Dominion Energy, Amazon to explore Advancement of SMR Development in Virginia
Also on Oct. 16, Dominion Energy Virginia and Amazon announced that they have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to explore innovative new development structures that would help advance potential SMR development in Virginia.
Power demand in Virginia is growing by more than 5% annually and is expected to double in the next 15 years. To reliably serve this unprecedented growth, Dominion Energy is developing an 'all-of-the-above' mix of new power generation sources, including leading investments in offshore wind, solar, battery storage and natural gas, the investor-owned utility said.
"In the 2030s, SMRs could play a pivotal role in this 'all-of-the-above' energy mix. Like traditional nuclear, SMRs generate around-the-clock, carbon-free power, but with a significantly smaller footprint and lower upfront capital costs," it said.
The MOU between Dominion Energy Virginia and Amazon documents the companies' efforts to jointly explore innovative ways to advance SMR development and financing while also mitigating potential cost and development risks for customers and capital providers.
Dominion Energy said it remains committed to the credit and risk profile objectives of the recently concluded business review.
In July, Dominion Energy announced a Request for Proposals from leading SMR nuclear technology companies to evaluate the feasibility of developing an SMR at the company's North Anna Power Station in Louisa County, Va.
While the RFP is not a commitment to build an SMR at North Anna, it is an important first step in evaluating the technology and the feasibility of developing it at North Anna, it said.
Amazon Invests in X-Energy
Meanwhile, X-Energy Reactor Company, LLC on Oct. 16 announced a Series C-1 financing round of approximately $500 million, anchored by Amazon.
The investment will help meet growing energy demands by funding the completion of X-energy's reactor design and licensing as well as the first phase of its TRISO-X fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Additionally, the funding will support future carbon-free projects that will use X-energy’s Xe-100 advanced small modular nuclear reactors.
Citadel Founder and CEO Ken Griffin, affiliates of Ares Management Corporation, NGP, and the University of Michigan joined Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund in the financing round.
Amazon and X-energy are also collaborating to bring more than 5 gigawatts of new power projects online across the United States by 2039, representing the largest commercial deployment target of SMRs to date.
"The efforts will help meet growing energy demands in key locations through direct project investments and long-term power purchase agreements to help power Amazon operations. Further, X-energy and Amazon plan to establish and standardize a deployment and financing model to develop projects in partnership with infrastructure and utility partners," X-Energy said.
X-energy’s Xe-100 advanced small modular reactor and TRISO-X fuel are among the safest and most reliable clean energy technologies, the company said.
The modular design is road-shippable and intended to drive geographic scalability, accelerate construction timelines, and create more predictable and manageable construction costs.
"X-energy’s advanced reactor technology offers remarkable efficiency and resiliency to meet the requirements of energy-intensive data centers, allowing Amazon to align its growth and carbon-free energy goals," it said.
X-energy is developing its initial Xe-100 plant at Dow Inc.’s UCC Seadrift Operations manufacturing site on the Texas Gulf Coast. Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, the project will be the first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor deployed to serve an industrial site in North America, providing the site with zero-carbon emissions power and high-temperature steam.
ARDP also supports X-energy’s first-in-the-nation commercial facility to exclusively manufacture TRISO fuel, which DOE calls “the most robust nuclear fuel on Earth.”
Google in Agreement for Power Supplies from U.S. Advanced Reactors for Data Centers
In related news, Kairos Power and Google recently signed a Master Plant Development Agreement, creating a path to deploy a U.S. fleet of advanced nuclear power projects totaling 500 megawatts by 2035.
The deal represents the first corporate agreement for multiple deployments of a single advanced reactor design in the United States, it said.
Under the agreement, Kairos Power will develop, construct, and operate a series of advanced reactor plants and sell energy, ancillary services, and environmental attributes to Google under Power Purchase Agreements.
