Amazon joins the big nuclear party, buying 1.92 GW for AWS

Core Insights - Amazon is leveraging an emerging trend where major tech firms are purchasing power directly from existing nuclear power plants, specifically acquiring 1.92 gigawatts of electricity from Talen Energy's Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania [1][4] - This agreement modifies a previous arrangement that was halted by regulators due to concerns over unfair cost burdens on customers [2][3] - The revised power purchase agreement will now be billed like other grid-connected customers, with the deal extending through 2042 [4] Group 1: Amazon's Power Purchase Agreement - The new deal allows Amazon to power its AWS cloud and AI servers using electricity from the Susquehanna plant [1] - The previous arrangement involved building a data center next to the plant, which was rejected by regulators [2][3] - The current agreement will include transmission fees that support grid maintenance and development [3][4] Group 2: Industry Trends and Collaborations - Microsoft initiated this trend last year with a $1.6 billion project to restart a reactor at Three Mile Island, generating 835 megawatts [7] - Meta also joined the trend by purchasing clean energy attributes from a 1.1 gigawatt nuclear power plant in Illinois [7] - Amazon and Talen plan to explore building small modular reactors (SMRs) and expanding existing nuclear power generation [4][8] Group 3: Future Developments - The expansion of existing power plants is seen as a more feasible method to increase nuclear energy output [5] - Amazon has invested in an SMR startup, X-energy, which aims to add 300 megawatts of nuclear capacity in the Pacific Northwest and Virginia [8] - The goal of these initiatives is to add new energy to the PJM grid, addressing potential regulatory concerns [9]