Amazon and partners plan 12 small reactors at former Indiana coal site
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Amazon, X-energy and American Electric Power plan to fund a nuclear facility at the former Breed coal station in Indiana. It is intended to supply carbon-free electricity to the regional grid and Amazon’s data centres, as technology firms seek new power sources for energy-intensive computing.
The proposed plant would contain 12 Xe-100 small modular reactors, with capacity of up to 960 megawatts. The design is still being developed and licensed, and no construction or operating timetable or agreement costs have been disclosed. Amazon says the project could create 1,000 construction jobs and 100 permanent roles; the partners aim to develop more than 5 gigawatts of US nuclear capacity by 2039.
- Amazon plans 12 small reactors at a former Indiana coal site.
- The facility could supply up to 960 megawatts of carbon-free power.
- The reactor design is still under development and licensing.
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Small modular reactors are nuclear power stations designed to be built in smaller units than traditional plants. The proposed Indiana project would use 12 reactors made by X-energy at the site of a coal station that has closed, supplying electricity to the regional grid and Amazon’s data centres.
Amazon is working with X-energy, which is developing the reactors, and American Electric Power, a utility involved in the project. The reactors still need to be developed and licensed, and the partners have not announced when construction or operation might begin.
The plan reflects technology companies’ growing need for electricity as computing demand expands. Amazon says the project could create jobs and is part of a wider aim with X-energy to add more nuclear power in the US.
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The case for
The project could add a substantial source of carbon-free electricity to a regional grid while helping meet the growing power needs of data centres. Supporters can argue that developing nuclear capacity on a former coal site may bring investment and jobs to the area, and that small reactors could contribute to a more reliable, lower-carbon energy system if the design proves viable.
The case against
Critics can argue that the proposal remains uncertain: the reactor design is still being developed and licensed, and costs and timelines have not been disclosed. They may question whether public and private resources would be better directed towards energy sources that can be deployed sooner, and whether a facility partly serving data centres will deliver broad benefits to local electricity users.
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Originally published by The Verge as “Amazon is funding a new nuclear plant in Indiana”.