Vistra(VST) The Motley Fool·2025-01-10 12:34Company Performance - Shares in Vistra rose by an incredible 257.9% in 2024, transforming from an integrated retail electricity and power generation company to one of the hottest AI plays on the market [1] Strategic Acquisitions - Vistra started the year with 2,400 MW of nuclear generation capacity out of 36,702 MW total capacity and significantly increased its nuclear capacity by acquiring Energy Harbor in March, adding 4,000 MW of nuclear generation [2] - The company also acquired the remaining 15% it didn't own in Vistra Vision, which held its nuclear assets [2] Industry Trends - There is a critical need for long-term, reliable power sources for data centers, with nuclear power increasingly seen as the answer due to its carbon-free nature and reliability [4] - Renewable energy faces challenges such as surging costs, logistics issues, and supply chain constraints, making nuclear power more attractive [4] Key Industry Deals - The three major cloud service providers signed deals with nuclear power producers in 2024: Microsoft with Constellation Energy, Google with Kairos Power, and Amazon with Talen Energy [5][6] - Amazon Web Services paid $650 million to buy a data center campus from Talen Energy and signed a long-term deal to buy power from Talen's nearby nuclear plant [6] AI and Nuclear Power Synergy - The boom in AI applications in 2024 drove significant investment in data centers, increasing the demand for reliable power sources like nuclear energy [7]