Google has entered into a strategic agreement with startup Elementl Power to support the development of three advanced nuclear energy sites, the companies announced on Wednesday.
Each of the three proposed nuclear sites — the locations of which are unknown — is expected to deliver at least 600 megawatts of baseload power, with an option for Google to purchase the electricity once operational. Under the agreement, Google is committing to an undisclosed financial investment today to secure that possible future option.
Google’s commitment comes at a time of volatility in the nuclear energy sector. Late last year, federal regulators blocked a high-profile data center co-location deal at the Susquehanna nuclear plant, and the startup Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. filed for bankruptcy despite having prominent research partnerships.
Still, the need for new clean energy capacity is only growing. Transmission providers are projecting an 8.2 percent rise in electricity demand over the next five years, driven largely by data centers and artificial intelligence workloads.
