Google-backed nuclear startup Kairos Power has entered into an agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority to supply up to 50 megawatts of electricity from its Hermes 2 reactor to the grid in Tennessee and Alabama by 2030.
Kairos Power and Google say the deal is the first time a U.S. utility has committed to buying power from advanced reactors, signaling a potential shift in the nation's energy strategy.
TVA President and CEO Don Moul called the partnership a milestone, saying in the statement, "The world is looking for American leadership, and this first-of-a-kind agreement is the start of an innovative way of doing business." He added that building a supply chain and delivery model around advanced reactors could "help America win the AI race" while supporting companies like Google.
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Google's AI Energy Needs Drive Push Into Nuclear
Google will acquire "clean energy attributes" from the TVA through the deal, which certifies its operations as carbon-free while supporting data centers in Montgomery County, Tennessee, and Jackson County, Alabama.
"To power the future, we need to grow the availability of smart, firm energy sources," Google Global Head of Data Center Energy Amanda Peterson Corio said in the statement.
She explained that the collaboration with Kairos Power, TVA, and the Oak Ridge community in Tennessee, home to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will "accelerate the deployment of innovative nuclear technologies" while meeting the demands of the growing digital economy and supporting carbon-free electricity generation.
Kairos Power announced last October that Google would buy 500 megawatts of small modular reactor energy through 2035 from it, making it the first tech giant to commit to this type of nuclear deal.
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Kairos Power Expands Nuclear Ambitions Amid Competition
The Hermes test reactor was the first of its kind to receive a Nuclear Regulatory Commission construction permit in 2023, though Inc. says it was not designed to produce electricity. Hermes 2, approved last November, will be the first electricity-producing advanced reactor of its kind, and operations are expected to begin as early as 2030, according to Inc.
Kairos Power co-founder and CEO Mike Laufer said the project "is an important enabler to making advanced nuclear energy commercially competitive."
He added that Hermes 2 "gets us closer to the commercial fleet sooner" thanks to support from TVA, Google, and the Oak Ridge community, while helping write a new chapter in the region's nuclear history.
U.S. officials also framed the project as a step toward national energy security and technological leadership. "The deployment of advanced nuclear reactors is essential to U.S. AI dominance and energy leadership," Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in the statement. He added that the Department of Energy has supported Kairos Power through the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program and will "continue to help accelerate the next American nuclear renaissance."
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Bill Gates' TerraPower And Amazon-Backed XEnergy Enter The Spotlight
Kairos Power's latest deal places it alongside TerraPower, the advanced nuclear startup co-founded by Bill Gates, which Inc. says it is also pursuing small modular reactor technology.
XEnergy, backed by Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), is another competitor in the small modular reactor market, showing the role major tech companies have in the future of advanced nuclear power.
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