Google has made a significant commitment to enhance 11 nuclear reactors across three states, contributing enough power to be equivalent to constructing a new large reactor. This partnership, spanning 20 years with Constellation Energy, was announced on Tuesday and aims to add 890 megawatts of capacity at sites in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, with the initial upgrades anticipated by 2028. A spokesperson from Google informed the Daily Caller News Foundation that the tech giant will bear the entire cost for this additional power.
According to the spokesperson, “Through these nuclear uprate agreements, Google is financing Constellation’s expenses to expand capacity, implement necessary transmission updates, and continue ongoing operations. This arrangement ensures that Google covers all expenses tied to the additional generation required to satisfy its demand while also supporting the operational costs for Constellation’s existing facilities—costs that local residents might otherwise have to absorb.”
Constellation did not respond immediately to inquiries from the DCNF.
The reactors play a crucial role in supplying the PJM Interconnection, which serves around 67 million people throughout 13 states and Washington, D.C. Currently, there is a shortfall of roughly 6.8 gigawatts in new power supply, largely due to the growing needs of data centers, as reported by Utility Dive.
The improvements, also referred to as uprates, will involve the integration of new components like turbines and steam generators to enable the existing reactors to generate more power without the need to construct new facilities, the companies explained.
The upgrades will take place at the Braidwood, Byron, LaSalle, and Quad Cities plants in Illinois, as well as at the Limerick plant in Pennsylvania and the Salem plant in New Jersey, which is partially owned by Constellation, as noted by a spokesperson for the company.
Approximately $2 billion of this initiative is projected to be allocated to the four Illinois facilities, which is expected to create around 4,200 construction jobs in the state, according to Republican Illinois state Senator Sue Rezin.
Rezin remarked, “This represents a substantial investment in Illinois’ energy future and acknowledges the immense value of our nuclear fleet.” She played a pivotal role in the efforts to lift the state’s long-standing ban on new nuclear construction.
Constellation’s CEO Joe Dominguez expressed that, “This long-term clean energy partnership with Google could illustrate how technology firms and the energy sector can collaboratively and responsibly cultivate the digital economy. It’s a way to invest in our country’s energy infrastructure that provides comprehensive grid benefits, financed by private organizations.”
Altogether, Constellation plans to invest over $4.3 billion across six nuclear sites, which will generate approximately 7,200 construction jobs and maintain around 4,400 existing positions, as stated by the companies. Google has also entered into a 15-year supply agreement for 2,700 megawatts from Constellation’s current plants in the area, a move that is expected to keep those facilities operational.
The agreement has been characterized by the companies as a “direct response” to a PJM initiative encouraging major power users to obtain their own supply, and it aligns with the White House’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge. A week earlier, Constellation also finalized a similar 20-year agreement with Amazon for 190 megawatts at the Calvert Cliffs plant in Maryland, bringing the total new nuclear capacity agreements with the two tech giants to nearly 1.1 gigawatts.
In September, Google had agreed to contribute to upgrades at Georgia Power’s nuclear plants in a contract that the utility claimed would benefit its other customers. Following the announcement, shares of Constellation saw a nearly 14 percent increase during morning trading, according to Utility Dive.
