Amazon Web Services (AWS) has signed three nuclear power deals—including enabling the construction of several new 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. They also have faster build times than traditional reactors, allowing them to come online sooner.
“Nuclear is a safe source of carbon-free energy that can help power our operations and meet the growing demands of our customers, while helping us progress toward our Climate Pledge commitment to be net-zero carbon across our operations by 2040,” said Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS).
“One of the fastest ways to address climate change is by transitioning our society to carbon-free energy sources, and nuclear energy is both carbon-free and able to scale—which is why it’s an important area of investment for Amazon. Our agreements will encourage the construction of new nuclear technologies that will generate energy for decades to come.”
In Washington, AWS has signed an agreement with Energy Northwest, a consortium of state public utilities, that will enable the development of four advanced SMRs.
The reactors will be constructed, owned and operated by Energy Northwest, and 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.
“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. This new SMR project is a significant step toward Amazon’s Climate Pledge commitment to reach net-zero carbon across our operations by 2040, and signifies our continued dedication to becoming a more sustainable company.”
Greg Cullen, VP for energy services & development at Energy Northwest, said: “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.”
Amazon is also making an investment in X-energy, a developer of next-generation SMR reactor and fuel. X-energy’s reactor design will be used in the Energy Northwest projects.
