Amazon backs 960-megawatt nuclear project in Indiana
The plan would give Amazon a dedicated power source for data centers while also feeding the regional grid, but it still depends on X-energy’s first commercial reactor project in Texas.
Amazon has agreed to back a new 960-megawatt nuclear project in Indiana with X-energy and American Electric Power, making it the first customer for the plant’s output. The site is planned for the former coal plant near Terre Haute and would use 12 Xe-100 small modular reactors, with power going to the regional grid as well as Amazon’s data centers. The companies say the project is part of a larger push to reach 5 gigawatts of new U.S. nuclear capacity by 2039. The plan still depends on X-energy proving out its first commercial reactor project in Texas, and no construction or operating timeline for Indiana has been announced.
Why it matters
For Indiana, the project would repurpose a former coal site into a new power source for both local supply and Amazon’s data centers. For Amazon and X-energy, it is an early step in a wider target to add 5 gigawatts of U.S. nuclear capacity by 2039, but the Indiana plant cannot move ahead until the Texas project is delivered. The lack of a construction or operating schedule leaves the timing and near-term impact unclear.
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Sources
- The Verge
- TechCrunch