Google Will Fund Three Nuclear Projects with Elementl Power

A nuclear power project developer said it has a deal with Google, with the technology company agreeing to commit funding for at least three projects that each would have 600 MW of generation capacity.

Elementl Power, founded in 2022 and based in Greer, South Carolina, on May 7 said Google would help the company move toward its goal of bringing more than 10 GW of nuclear power capacity online by 2035.

“Google is committed to catalyzing projects that strengthen the power grids where we operate, and advanced nuclear technology provides reliable, baseload, 24/7 energy,” said Amanda Peterson Corio, global head of data center energy at the California-headquartered tech giant.

The agreement announced Wednesday is the latest between a company involved with artificial intelligence (AI) and an energy group. Tech companies are seeking deals to secure power to meet the needs of energy-intensive data centers. Google CEO Sundar Pichai last year said the company could use small modular reactors (SMRs) to generate power for its data centers. The company soon after joined with Kairos Power, an SMR group, and said it would purchase power from Kairos’ reactors. The deal at that time said the first Kairos project would come online by 2030, with additional projects expected by 2035.

Sites Will Be Determined

Exact terms of the Elementl-Google deal, and the possible locations of the projects, were not announced. Elementl said Google’s funding would be used to support site permitting, secure interconnection rights to the power grid, and for other items needed to advance construction.

“Our collaboration with Elementl Power enhances our ability to move at the speed required to meet this moment of AI and American innovation,” said Corio.

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Elementl Power to date has not built any nuclear power projects. The company has said it is technology agnostic, and has not determined what type of reactor it would use to produce nuclear power, noting that it would choose the technology furthest along in development when it is ready to start construction.

“Innovative partnerships like this are necessary to mobilize the capital required to build new nuclear projects, which are critical to deliver safe, affordable and clean baseload power and help companies advance their long-term net zero goals,” said Chris Colbert, Elementl Power’s chairman and CEO. Colbert previously served in several executive positions with NuScale Power, a group involved with small modular reactor (SMR) technology.

Colbert said Elementl would continue to seek funding from other sources to support construction.

Baseload Energy for the Grid

Elementl Power in a news release Wednesday wrote that the agreement with Google “is part of our continued work to source 24/7 baseload energy to support our operations and strengthen power grids. It also helps Elementl advance its goal of bringing significant nuclear capacity online by 2035. This innovative approach links capital investment directly with the growing demand for clean baseload power, with Google having the option for commercial off-take once projects are complete.”

“We look forward to working with Google to execute these projects and bring safe, carbon-free, baseload electricity to the grid,” said Colbert, noting the company would continue to look for other partners to support project engineering and construction. The company said it would seek “specific sites for accelerated development.”

“My partners and I launched Elementl Power in 2022 to solve a critical industry need and serve as a catalyst for private capital formation in advanced nuclear projects,” said Ryan Mills, co-founder and president of Elementl Power. “This partnership with Google represents a significant milestone in Elementl Power’s growth trajectory.”

—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.