Google, Kairos Power, TVA Collaborate to Meet America's Growing Energy Needs

Google, Kairos Power, and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced on August 18 a new collaboration to help meet America's growing energy demand and bolster the country's leadership in advanced nuclear energy. Through a new power purchase agreement (PPA) between Kairos Power and TVA, Kairos Power's Hermes 2 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn., will deliver up to 50 megawatts (MW) of reliable, 24/7 energy to the TVA grid that powers Google data centers in Tennessee and Alabama.

TVA is the first U.S. utility to sign a PPA to buy electricity from an advanced, GEN IV reactor, and Hermes 2 is the first deployment under Kairos Power's landmark deal with Google to enable 500 MW of new, advanced nuclear capacity to come online by 2035 in support of Google's load growth. To accelerate the delivery of clean energy to Google, Kairos Power will increase Hermes 2's output from 28 MW to 50 MW generated by a single reactor, scheduled to begin operations in 2030. 

Through this agreement, Google will receive the clean energy attributes from the plant through the TVA system to further decarbonize its data center operations in Montgomery County, Tennessee, and Jackson County, Alabama, and support future growth in the region. 

This collaboration demonstrates TVA's commitment to integrating innovative, firm energy sources like Kairos Power's advanced nuclear technology to proactively support the development of new, clean generation within its service territory. 

"To power the future, we need to grow the availability of smart, firm energy sources," said Amanda Peterson Corio, Google's Global Head of Data Center Energy. "This collaboration with TVA, Kairos Power, and the Oak Ridge community will accelerate the deployment of innovative nuclear technologies and help support the needs of our growing digital economy while also bringing firm carbon-free energy to the electricity system. Lessons from the development and operation of the Hermes 2 plant will help drive down the cost of future reactors, improving the economics of clean firm power generation in the TVA region and beyond."

"This collaboration is an important enabler to making advanced nuclear energy commercially competitive," said Mike Laufer, Kairos Power CEO and co-founder. "The re-envisioned Hermes 2 gets us closer to the commercial fleet sooner and could only be made possible by close collaboration with TVA and Google, and a supportive local community. We are excited to grow Kairos Power'soperations in Oak Ridge while writing a new chapter in the region's distinguished nuclear history."

"Energy security is national security, and electricity is the strategic commodity that is the building block for AI and our nation's economic prosperity," said Don Moul, TVA President and CEO. "The world is looking for American leadership, and this first-of-a-kind agreement is the start of an innovative way of doing business. By developing a technology, a supply chain, and a delivery model that can build an industry to unleash American energy, we can attract and support companies like Google and help America win the AI race." 

Google, Kairos Power, and TVA aim to deliver an innovative solution for industrial energy users to meet their growing business needs responsibly while driving local economic growth and opportunity. This approach protects electricity customers by limiting development costs to first movers while helping to bring costs down for customers as additional units are delivered. 

What People Are Saying

"The deployment of advanced nuclear reactors is essential to U.S. AI dominance and energy leadership," said Energy Secretary Chris Wright. "The Department of Energy has assisted Kairos Power with overcoming technical, operational, and regulatory challenges as a participant in the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, and DOE will continue to help accelerate the next American nuclear renaissance."

"I am pleased to see Google, Kairos Power, and the Tennessee Valley Authority join forces to deliver reliable nuclear energy in Tennessee," said Senator Bill Hagerty. "Advancing nuclear technology is essential to unleashing American energy and driving a nuclear renaissance that secures our competitive edge in the global market. This agreement is a critical step toward this goal. Cutting-edge innovation has a home in Tennessee, and I intend to see that our state remains at the forefront of developing transformative technologies to maintain America's lead in the all-important energy sector."

"Tennessee should be America's leader in nuclear energy to secure our nation's energy independence and protect national security," said Senator Marsha Blackburn. "This partnership will strengthen both Tennessee and America's leadership in innovative nuclear energy, fuel economic growth in Oak Ridge, and help meet the country's growing demand for energy."

"I congratulate Kairos Power, Google, and TVA on their groundbreaking collaboration that will hasten the deployment of next-generation advanced nuclear technologies and cement East Tennessee as the national and global leader for new nuclear innovation," said Energy and Water Appropriations Chairman Chuck Fleischmann. "The United States and the world are in critical need of robust, reliable, affordable energy, and this exciting partnership will ensure East Tennessee and America continue to lead the global nuclear renaissance that will create countless new jobs and power our future."

"Tennessee's legacy of nuclear innovation positions the Volunteer State to lead America's energy dominance and drive continued economic growth with safe, clean, and reliable nuclear energy," said Governor Bill Lee. "I thank Kairos Power for its commitment to expand their presence in East Tennessee, which will further strengthen our nuclear ecosystem and bring greater opportunity to Tennesseans."

Kairos Power | kairospower.com

Tennessee Valley Authority | https://www.tva.com/