Another shuttered nuclear power plant is getting new life, thanks to Big Tech

The Duane Arnold Energy Center successful Iowa.

Google announced plans to revive a atomic powerfulness works that unopen down successful 2020, arsenic it looks to unafraid capable energy for its AI information centers.

The institution announced a 25-year statement with NextEra Energy to yet acquisition energy from the Duane Arnold Energy Center, a 615MW atomic works successful Iowa, erstwhile it starts operating again. “We’re enabling the concern to restart the works and covering costs for the accumulation of vigor from Duane Arnold,” Google says successful a blog post. The Central Iowa Power Cooperative volition acquisition remaining energy from the works that Google doesn’t use.

It’s the latest determination by Google and different tech companies to revitalize atomic vigor successful the US, which has struggled to vie with falling costs for gas, solar, and upwind powerfulness implicit the years. As powerfulness grids scramble to support up with increasing energy request from AI, atomic vigor has go a much charismatic enactment for generating carbon-free vigor around-the-clock for information centers.

Duane Arnold archetypal started generating powerfulness successful 1975, and is slated to commencement moving again successful 2029. But getting it operational volition beryllium nary tiny task; the US has ne'er restarted a mothballed atomic plant, Reuters reports. Microsoft announced plans past twelvemonth to assistance revive a shuttered reactor astatine Three Mile Island, which is expected to sputter backmost to beingness successful 2028.

Google says that turning an aged powerfulness works backmost connected is “the fastest way to unlock large-scale atomic powerfulness to conscionable AI maturation successful the near-term.” The institution is besides moving with NextEra and Kairos Power to make next-generation atomic reactors, but those precocious designs inactive look lengthy certification and permitting processes.