// THE VERGE — MOBILE & WEB
Amazon is funding a new nuclear plant in Indiana
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The proposed nuclear plant would provide 960 megawatts to power the grid — and Amazon’s data centers.
The proposed nuclear plant would provide 960 megawatts to power the grid — and Amazon’s data centers.
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Amazon has signed an agreement with X-energy and American Electric Power (AEP) to fund the building of a new nuclear energy facility in Indiana. The proposed plant, which would replace the now defunct coal-fueled Breed Generating Station in Fairbanks, Sullivan County, aims to provide up to 960 megawatts of carbon-free energy for both the regional power grid and Amazon’s data centers.
No timeline for construction or operation has been announced for the facility, which Amazon says “could” create 1,000 construction jobs and 100 permanent roles. The facility in Indiana is targeting to build 12 Xe-100 SMR’s, an advanced (but unproven) reactor that’s still undergoing development and licensing. These reactors can be cooled using either air, water, or a hybrid solution of both, which Amazon says should allow them to be deployed in water-constrained regions without impacting water demand in local communities.
Indiana also happens to be home to a famously expensive and uncompleted energy project called the Marble Hill Nuclear Power Plant. It was abandoned half-finished in 1983 after $2.5 billion had already been sunk into it, and has been under continued demolition since 2008. Terms for Amazon’s agreement in Fairbanks haven’t been disclosed, so we can’t compare the cost between the facilities.