Amazon has announced three new agreements to build small modular reactors (SMRs). These nuclear reactors are smaller than traditional ones, allowing them to be closer to the grid and be built faster. Microsoft and Google have recently announced their own investments into nuclear power.
One of the agreements works towards developing four SMRs with Energy Northwest, a Washington-based consortium of state public utilities. It should initially generate about 320 megawatts, with the potential to reach 960 megawatts. The second is with X-energy, which is providing an advanced nuclear reactor design for Energy Northwest’s undertaking. On the opposite coast, Amazon is working with Dominion Energy to investigate whether the development of an SMR project is possible near the utility company’s existing nuclear power station in Virginia. It could bring 300 megawatts of power to the area.
Amazon shared further information about these developments in a video shared to YouTube. Amazon also claims these agreements will bring new jobs, with Energy Northwest, for example, reporting the agreement will lead to 1,000 temporary construction jobs and 100 or so permanent jobs upon completion.
This summer, Amazon announced it had reached its goal of matching its worldwide energy consumption with renewable energy sources seven years ahead of its 2030 goal. However, some Amazon employees and environmental experts accused the company of “distorting the truth” as the claim relies on billions of dollars in investments to solar and wind initiatives. The problem? These sources aren’t exclusively used by Amazon, instead funnelling into a general power grid.
