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Data Centers
Alphabet Buying Clean Energy Developer to Support Data Centers
Alphabet, the parent of technology giant Google, has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Intersect, which provides data center and energy infrastructure solutions, for $4.75 billion in cash, plus the assumption of debt. Google already owns a minority stake in Intersect from a previously announced funding round.
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Nuclear
Power Play: Takeaways from Westinghouse, Google AI Partnership
Westinghouse has partnered with Google Cloud to develop a custom AI-powered platform using specialized models from both Google and Westinghouse—itself a leader in AI for energy production—that helps optimize and accelerate reactor construction.
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Nuclear
Google Has Deal with NextEra to Restart Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant
NextEra Energy said technology giant Google has signed a 25-year deal to buy power from the utility’s Duane Arnold nuclear power plant, which the Florida-based energy provider wants to restart.
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Data Centers
Google Commits to First U.S. Gas-Fired Power Plant with Integrated CCS for Data Centers
Google has signed a first-of-its-kind corporate offtake agreement to purchase power from a new 400-MW natural gas–fired cogeneration plant outfitted with carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Decatur, Illinois. In an Oct. 23 blog post, Michael Terrell, head of Google’s Advanced Energy division, unveiled the corporate agreement that will allow the hyperscaler to purchase power […]
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Data Centers
Entergy Will Power $4-Billion Google Data Center in Arkansas
Google announced the first phase of a $4-billion data center project in West Memphis, Arkansas, an initiative that state officials have called one of the largest economic investments in state history. The facility, located near the Arkansas-Tennessee state line, will be powered by Entergy using solar power and existing generation in the area.
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Commentary
Bill Gates: ‘The Future of Energy Is Subatomic’
I’m lucky to learn firsthand about some of the world’s most cutting-edge technologies. I’ve seen artificial intelligence ace an AP biology test, long before AI became an everyday tool. I’ve seen genetically modified mosquitoes that stop malaria in its tracks. I’ve seen geothermal wells that go 15,000 feet below the surface of the earth. But […]
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nuclear technology
TVA Inks First U.S. Utility PPA for Gen IV Nuclear Power in Landmark Three-Way Deal with Google, Kairos
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has signed a first-of-its-kind power purchase agreement (PPA) with advanced nuclear technology firm Kairos Power to buy power from the company’s planned Hermes 2, a molten salt nuclear reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The deal makes TVA the first U.S. utility to contract for electricity from a Gen-IV reactor. Under […]
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Trends
Google, I&M Strike Landmark Deal to Share Clean Capacity and Flex AI Load
American Electric Power (AEP) subsidiary Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) has filed a special customer-specific contract with technology giant Google that could create a dual-purpose arrangement to address power capacity constraints in one of the fastest-growing digital infrastructure regions in the U.S. AEP on Aug. 4 announced that the two companies filed a petition to the […]
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Renewables
Google Signs Deal with Brookfield for 3 GW of Hydropower Capacity
Technology giant Google announced the company will buy as much as 3 GW of hydropower generation capacity from Brookfield Renewable, an affiliate of Brookfield Asset Management. The companies on July 15 said the deal is a “hydro framework agreement” that will support Google’s goal of having data centers and other operations run continuously on carbon-free power.
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Nuclear
Google Signs Deal to Buy Fusion Energy from Future Virginia Plant
Tech giant Google has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) to buy at least 200 MW of energy from CFS’s planned fusion-based power plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia.
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Nuclear
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.
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Renewables
Google, Baseload Capital Have Corporate PPA for Geothermal in Taiwan
Global geothermal energy developer Baseload Capital has joined with technology giant Google on the first corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA) for geothermal in Taiwan.
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Trends
PJM Taps Google and Tapestry to Use AI for Grid Interconnection Planning
PJM, the largest grid operator in North America, has launched a multiyear partnership with tech giant Google and its Alphabet X moonshot Tapestry to streamline PJM’s grid interconnection process using artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The companies said the effort could significantly improve planning and decision-making as grid pressures intensify. Under the initiative, announced on April […]
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Trends
A Business-Like Approach to Power Generation
The decentralization of electricity production and delivery is evident in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector, as businesses move to produce their own power to ensure a reliable and resilient supply
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Data Centers
Bill Gates’ TerraPower Has Deal to Use Nuclear Power for Data Centers
TerraPower, the nuclear energy company founded by former Microsoft CEO and co-founder Bill Gates, announced it has a memorandum of understanding with a major U.S. data center developer to deploy advanced nuclear reactors to power existing and future facilities. TerraPower on Jan. 21 said it will work with Sabey Data Centers (SDC) on “a strategic […]
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Renewables
Google Signs PPAs for Energy From Oklahoma Solar Projects
Google has entered into long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Texas-based Leeward Renewable Energy (LRE) to support more than 700 MW of solar power projects in Oklahoma. Google on Jan. 16 said, “the projects are strategically located to support our data center operations,” noting that one installation is “located less than one mile from our […]
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Data Centers
Generational Shift—Data Centers Bring Change to Energy Landscape
Deals involving the data center sector are occurring regularly, as tech companies make moves to ensure they have a reliable supply of power for their energy-intensive operations. Several generation types, both thermal and renewable, are being touted and pursued by groups involved with artificial intelligence (AI), data management, and cloud computing. Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web […]
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Commentary
Factors Impacting the Transition to Carbon-Free Energy
The production and consumption of carbon-free energy (CFE) has accelerated worldwide in recent years, driven by large private energy consumers who have been leading this transition. For example, Google has been matching 100% of its global annual electricity consumption with purchases of renewable energy since 2017. The public sector is also an increasing driver, as […]
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Nuclear
Another Big Data Center Win for Nuclear: Oklo and Switch Sign Historic 12 GW Deal
Advanced nuclear firm Oklo has partnered with Switch, a Las Vegas-based data center designer, builder, and operator, to deploy 12 GW of Aurora powerhouses through 2044 in a historic deal hailed as “one of the largest corporate clean power agreements ever signed.” The two companies announced a groundbreaking Master Power Agreement on Dec. 18 to […]
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Data Centers
Google Invests in Partnership to Develop Energy Assets at Data Center Parks
Technology companies are looking at various ways to source electricity for energy-intensive data centers. Google on Dec. 10 unveiled a plan to join with several partners in supporting power generation, as part of what could be a $20 billion investment to develop industrial parks that would have renewable energy and energy storage built alongside those […]
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Data Centers
Tech Giant Meta Seeking Nuclear Power to Support Data Centers
Facebook parent Meta wants to find developers that can provide nuclear reactors to support electricity demand from the tech company’s data centers and artificial intelligence (AI) efforts. The group said the new generation capacity also could support local power grids. Meta on Dec. 3 announced a request for proposals (RFP) “to identify nuclear energy developers […]
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Data Centers
Data Center Hysteria: How the Power Industry Is Accommodating the Boom
Everywhere you turn these days people are talking about data centers and the enormous amount of electrical power they are expected to demand as artificial intelligence (AI) platforms scale up and become more
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Data Centers
Cologix Plans $7 Billion, 800-MW Data Center Complex in Ohio
A company that provides connectivity and colocation services for customers across North America has announced plans to build a data center campus in Central Ohio. Cologix, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, on Nov. 20 said it had acquired land in Johnstown, Ohio, where it will develop eight artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. Cologix is considered a […]
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Nuclear
Bill Gates’ Energy Group, Former Google CEO Investing in Pacific Fusion Startup
A fusion energy company that counts executives such as Eric Schmidt and Bill Gates among its backers has emerged from stealth, announcing $900 million in pledged funding. Pacific Fusion, whose technology builds on recent fusion advances at two U.S. national labs, is the latest U.S.-based group to join a growing list of companies working on […]
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Power
BLM Approves Major 2-GW Geothermal Project in Utah
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has given the go-ahead for a major geothermal energy project in Utah. The agency announced final approval for Fervo Energy’s Cape Geothermal Power Project in Beaver County, which the BLM said would use advanced geothermal technology to produce up to 2 GW of electricity. The BLM, part of the […]
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Coal
Power Demand from Data Centers Keeping Coal-Fired Plants Online
The power generation sector is looking at numerous ways to provide enough electricity to satisfy demand from data centers. Bloomberg Intelligence recently said its research shows data centers, buildings filled with servers and other computing equipment for data storage and networking that supports operations and artificial intelligence (AI), could be responsible for as much as […]
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Sustainability
Google Bets Big on Nuclear: Inks Deal with Kairos Power for 500-MW SMR Fleet to Power Data Centers
In a deal that marks the first corporate agreement to deploy multiple small modular reactors (SMRs) in the U.S., Kairos Power and Google have signed a Master Plant Development Agreement to facilitate the development of a 500-MW fleet of molten salt nuclear reactors by 2035 to power Google’s data centers. The first reactor is expected […]
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Gas
Diversification Key to Finland’s Goals Around Energy and Environment
Finland has a diversified energy mix, comprised mostly of renewable energy resources and nuclear power. Recent power generation project announcements highlight this diversification, which has led to industry
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Nuclear
Google Could Use Small Nuclear Reactors to Power Data Centers
Google’s top executive confirmed the company is working on large-scale data centers that would use more than 1 GW of power. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, in a speech last week at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh said small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) could possibly be used to generate the needed electricity. Pichai […]
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Geothermal
Innovative Enhanced Geothermal System Begins Operations in Nevada
A pioneering 3.5-MW enhanced geothermal system (EGS) in northern Nevada that demonstrated the ability to drill, complete, and operate horizontal wells is now operational. Project Red, co-developed by Fervo Energy and Google under a partnership forged in 2021 under the “world’s first corporate agreement to develop an enhanced geothermal power project,” is supplying power to […]