Google and nuclear developer Kairos Power said on Monday they have selected Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as the site of an advanced nuclear plant designed to supply electricity to the tech company’s data centers in the U.S. Southeast beginning in 2030.
The project, backed by a long-term power purchase agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), is expected to provide 500 megawatts of capacity—enough to power around 350,000 homes. The facility will use small modular reactor technology under development by California-based Kairos Power and represents the first deployment under Google’s agreement, announced last year, to source energy from multiple advanced nuclear units.
“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,” said Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s global head of data center energy.
The companies said the deal marks the first time a U.S. utility has entered into a power purchase agreement for so-called generation IV nuclear power, which is considered by industry experts as among the most sustainable and safe nuclear technologies under development.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright welcomed the decision, calling it a milestone for both technology and energy policy. “The deployment of advanced nuclear reactors is essential to U.S. AI dominance and energy leadership,” Wright said. “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.”
