Multinational tech firm Amazon will soon tap into one of the largest nuclear power plants in the United States to power its power cloud service unit’s upcoming data center.
Amazon buys out Cumulus Data Assets campus
According to The Register, Amazon Web Services (AWS) officially acquired a nuclear-powered data center campus from Talen Energy for $650 million in the US on Monday.
The deal gives AWS ownership of the 1,200-acre Cumulus Data Assets campus, which Talen Energy built near its 2.5 gigawatt Susquehanna nuclear power plant in northeast Pennsylvania.
AWS reportedly plans to develop a new data center with up to 960-megawatt (MW) capacity at the Salem Township site in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
About the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station
The Susquehanna Steam Electric Station is a 1,075-acre nuclear power plant launched in 1983. It is currently regarded as the sixth-largest nuclear power plant in the United States, yielding 63 million kilowatt hours of energy per day.
The nuclear power plant operates two General Electric boiling water reactors within a Mark II containment building, which are licensed through 2042 and 2044.
All that said, it can offer AWS’ new data center with fixed-price nuclear power. For context, the tech giant has minimum contractual power commitments of up to 120 MW increments within several years. It has a one-time change to maximize commitments at 480 MW and two 10-year extension options tied associated with nuclear license renewals.
Is nuclear power clean and renewable?
US Office of Nuclear Energy explained that nuclear energy is a zero-emission clean energy source that yields power through fission, a process of diverging uranium atoms. The fission-induced heat generates steam that spins a turbine to produce electricity. However, the fuel necessary for the process is not renewable.
Nuclear may not be the most preferred source of net zero energy today. Nonetheless, this acquisition can significantly aid AWS in meeting the enormous demand for its power cloud service.
The Susquehanna Steam Electric Station is already in operation, and the data center complex is fully functional and ready for use. It sources power from 100% clean energy, as Amazon gets in the picture. For context, Talen Energy primarily developed the complex for this exact reason, which is to integrate “digital infrastructure and clean power.”
