Power & SitesUnited States
Google signs 3.6GW deal with Constellation to secure power in PJM service area
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Nuclear and natural gas deal covers major data center markets
View the articleData Center Dynamics
Power & SitesUnited States
Nuclear and natural gas deal covers major data center markets
Nuclear and natural gas deal covers major data center markets
Google has signed a massive 3.6GW energy deal with Constellation to secure access to power from its plants.
The search and cloud giant has agreed to a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for 890MW of nuclear energy, which will enable Constellation to invest $4.3 billion in new equipment and technology at 11 of its nuclear units in Illinois, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania
In addition, the company has agreed to a 15-year deal to buy 2.7GW of energy from Constellation across the PJM service area. This is not tied to any particular power plant and is designed to “ensure that Constellation's operating generation assets continue to deliver energy and capacity to the PJM market,” the companies said. Constellation operates both nuclear and natural gas power plants.
The nuclear PPA will secure 4,400 existing jobs and create 7,200 new ones during the build-out, according to Constellation.
"We're committed to meeting our growth responsibly by actively investing in clean, reliable power that brings new capacity to our nation's grids," stated Amanda Peterson Corio, global head of energy and power at Google. "Our agreement with Constellation to fund nuclear reactor uprates will strengthen the PJM grid, which serves 67 million people, all while protecting energy affordability and supporting local union jobs."
Google has also signed a nuclear PPA with NextEra Energy, which intends to restart Iowa's 615MW Duane Arnold nuclear plant to serve the hyperscaler, and an offtake agreement with the owners of the Loviisa nuclear power station in Finland.
The PJM market covers 13 states, including data center hotspots such as Virginia and Pennsylvania. It is expecting peak load growth on its network of up to 30GW through 2030, thanks largely to the AI data center boom.
Constellation has been trying to meet this demand by increasing capacity in its fleet of nuclear and gas power plants. It is hoping to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear facility in New York to serve Microsoft, and last month agreed a 20-year PPA with Amazon that will see 190MW of new generating capacity added to its nuclear facility in Maryland.
"Preserving and expanding the output of the existing nuclear fleet and developing new clean generation is critical to meeting our nation's growing energy needs while keeping costs affordable for homes and businesses," said Joe Dominguez, chairman, president and CEO of Constellation.
"This long-term clean energy collaboration with Google can serve as a model for how technology companies and the energy industry can work together to responsibly develop the digital economy and invest in our nation's energy infrastructure in a way that delivers grid-wide benefits for all, funded by private entities."