Twelve Xe-100 modular reactors with a combined capacity of 960 MW, operated by AEP near Terre Haute: Amazon has tripled the scale of its first agreement with X-energy, even though the company’s pioneering reactor in Texas has not yet been launched.
Amazon has announced funding for twelve small modular Xe-100 reactors, designed by X-energy, which are to be installed on the site of a former coal-fired power station south of Terre Haute, Indiana. The combined capacity would be 960 megawatts, operated by the energy company American Electric Power. The plant would be connected to the public grid, but Amazon states that this electricity will also be used to power its data centres, whose energy consumption is skyrocketing due to AI.
A project hinging on the first reactor
This is the second commercial agreement between Amazon and X-energy, three times larger than the one signed in 2024, the year in which Amazon led a $700 million funding round for the start-up. It forms part of the aim to build 5 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity in the United States by 2039.
However, the timetable remains uncertain: X-energy has not yet begun work on its first plant, at Seadrift in Texas, and the Indiana project depends both on this pioneering project and on regulatory approvals. The cost has not been disclosed.
Read the full article on the original source
Go to the source →