America’s nuclear renaissance is getting a boost from another major tech company: Amazon Web Services (AWS). Yesterday, the company announced that it’s investing $500 million to boost nuclear power—namely, in projects like those in Washington State and Virginia.
Specifically, here in Virginia, AWS is working with Virginia utility company Dominion Energy to develop a small modular nuclear reactor close to the North Anna nuclear-generating station 90 miles from Washington, D.C. Amazon is also expected to partner with X-energy to construct several Xe-100 advanced small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs).
“In alignment with our All-American, All-of-the-Above energy plan, small modular nuclear reactors will play a critical role in positioning Virginia as a leading nuclear innovation hub,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a statement. “Amazon Web Services’ commitment to this technology and their partnership with Dominion is a significant step forward to meet the future power needs of a growing Virginia.”
X-energy describes their SMRs as follows: “X-energy’s pioneering Xe-100 advanced small modular reactor and TRISO-X fuel are among the safest and most reliable clean energy technologies. Each reactor unit is engineered to provide 80 MW of electricity and is optimized in multi-unit plants ranging from 320 MW to 960 MW.”
There are three types of nuclear reactors: microreactors, small modular reactors, and large reactors. Larger reactors typically have a maximum output of 1,000 MW, while SMRs have a third, or 300 MW, of maximum output. An advantage of these smaller reactors is that their prefabricated units are “factory-assembled and transported as a unit to a location for installation”—a more cost-effective option for an energy source that has struggled to stay on budget during construction. As an additional improvement, SMRs only need to be refueled every three to seven years compared to large reactors which need to be maintained every one to three years.
Amazon is joining Microsoft, Oracle, and Google in going nuclear to meet increasing energy demands for artificial intelligence (AI)-powered data centers. Tech giants have recognized intermittent solar and wind can’t provide reliable, baseload power for their AI needs. That’s why they’re increasingly turning to nuclear energy.
As I explained in my recent IWF Policy Focus on Energy Security, nuclear energy’s potential should be tapped into given its innumerable benefits:
Although nuclear accounts for just 18.6 percent of utility-scale electricity generation, nuclear is the most scalable and efficient clean energy source that can complement oil, natural gas, and coal…Nuclear power is the most reliable baseload source today because it is powered almost 24/7, even accounting for maintenance, and works 93 percent of the year. These facilities boast a low environmental footprint, needing just one square mile of land to produce one gigawatt (GW) of energy. Utility-scale solar and wind projects, in contrast, require 75 and 360 times more land, respectively, to produce the equivalent amount of electricity.”
With an anticipated increase in electricity demand, America recognizes it must harness energy—including nuclear power—here at home to protect our electric grid, insulate U.S. infrastructure from threats, and preserve first-world living standards.
Enthusiasm for nuclear energy is high with 56% of Americans, across all political lines, supporting it. Another poll suggests support hovers close to 77%. This prompted the Department of Energy to study nuclear and recommend adding 60 GW of new nuclear power at the 41 currently operating or recently retired plants. Even the financial industry, formerly a nuclear skeptic, is also betting big on this baseload power.
But a challenge remains in getting women to support nuclear energy. Misinformation about this clean energy source and a lack of targeted messaging, sadly, are obstacles to wooing women here. That’s where the Center for Energy and Conservation can be helpful.
To learn more about nuclear energy, go HERE.