AWS, Amazon’s cloud computing subsidiary, said it signed three new agreements on Wednesday to support the development of nuclear energy projects, including the construction of several new Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
Amazon inked a deal with Energy Northwest in Washington to build four advanced SMRs. The reactors are expected to generate approximately 320 MW of capacity in the first phase of the project, with the option to increase to 960 MW in total.
The tech giant also invested in X-energy. Amazon said it plans to use the company’s advanced nuclear reactor design in the Energy Northwest project. The investment includes manufacturing capacity to develop the SMR equipment to support more than five gigawatts of new nuclear energy projects.
Amazon also signed an agreement with Dominion Energy in Virginia to explore the development of an SMR project near Dominion's North Anna nuclear power station. The project would bring at least 300 MW of power to the Virginia region.
“Nuclear is a safe source of carbon-free energy that can help power our operations and meet the growing demands of our customers, while helping us progress toward our Climate Pledge commitment to be net-zero carbon across our operations by 2040,” said Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services.