Amazon’s commitment to small nuclear reactors

Amazon y Northwest Energyan energy company that is committed to next-generation nuclear technologies, announced an agreement to fund the development and implementation of small modular reactor (SMR) technology in Washington state.

As the demand for energy resources continues to grow, Energy Northwest and Amazon recognize the urgent need to develop advanced technologies in the Pacific Northwest that provide reliable, carbon-free and sustainable energy production. SMRs offer a promising solution to this need through scalable and flexible power generation.

Through the agreement, Amazon will fund the initial feasibility phase of an SMR projectwhich is planned to be located near the Columbia Generating Energy Northwest nuclear power station in Richland, Washington.

Placed bet

“As a member of the Washington business community, Amazon is committed to investing in new nuclear energy technologies that can help power our operations and provide new, secure, zero-carbon energy sources to the grid.” said Kevin Miller, vice president of Amazon. global data centers.

“We are proud to work with Energy Northwest, a company that is also thinking big to meet society’s growing energy demands while addressing climate change. “This new SMR project is an important step towards Amazon’s commitment to the Climate Pledge of achieving net zero carbon emissions across all our operations by 2040 and signifies our continued commitment to becoming a more sustainable company. sustainable,” he continued.

Strategic alliance

“We are excited about this collaboration with Amazon and are impressed with their vision to help develop new nuclear technologies and their desire to make this resource available to enterprises in the future,” said Greg Cullen, vice president of Energy Services and Development Northwest Energy.

“We have been working for years to develop this project at the behest of our members and have found that taking this bold first step is difficult for utilities, especially those that provide electricity to ratepayers at the cost of production. “We applaud Amazon for being willing to use its financial strength, energy needs and know-how to lead the way to a reliable, carbon-free energy future for the region,” he said.

SMR de X-Energy

SMRs will be The Xe-100 design, a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor developed by X-Energya world leader in advanced nuclear reactor and fuel technology. Each Xe-100 module can provide 80 megawatts of full-time electricity. Energy Northwest and X-energy are heavily involved in plans for an Xe-100 facility as of 2020.

Under the agreement, Amazon will have the right to purchase electricity from the first project (four modules), which is expected to generate 320 megawatts (MW) of power capacity. Energy Northwest has the option to continue construction of the site by adding up to eight additional modules (640 MW), resulting in a total project generating capacity of up to 960 MW. This additional energy will be available for Amazon and Northwest utilities to power homes and businesses.

As the owner and operator of the Columbia Generating Station, the Pacific Northwest’s only nuclear generating facility, and as the developer and operator of additional clean energy and storage resources, Energy Northwest is well equipped to develop this project.

This collaboration between Energy Northwest and Amazon demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships to drive innovation and accelerate the evolution of sustainable energy solutions. It also paves the way for public energy entities to develop and build future SMRs to help meet the region’s growing energy demands.