Google has signed a 3.6GW energy agreement with Constellation to secure power from the utility's plants across the PJM grid, which serves data center hotspots including Virginia and Pennsylvania.
The agreement combines a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for 890MW of nuclear energy with a separate 15-year deal to buy 2.7GW of energy from Constellation across the PJM service area. The nuclear PPA will let Constellation invest $4.3 billion in new equipment and technology at 11 of its nuclear units in Illinois, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The 2.7GW deal is not tied to a specific plant and is meant to keep Constellation's existing generation delivering energy and capacity to the PJM market, which covers 13 states and is expecting peak load growth of up to 30GW through 2030.
Constellation says the nuclear PPA will secure 4,400 existing jobs and create 7,200 new ones during the build-out. "We're committed to meeting our growth responsibly by actively investing in clean, reliable power that brings new capacity to our nation's grids," said Amanda Peterson Corio, Google's global head of energy and power. "Our agreement with Constellation to fund nuclear reactor uprates will strengthen the PJM grid, which serves 67 million people, all while protecting energy affordability and supporting local union jobs."
Constellation chairman, president and CEO Joe Dominguez said the deal could serve as a model for the industry: "This long-term clean energy collaboration with Google can serve as a model for how technology companies and the energy industry can work together to responsibly develop the digital economy and invest in our nation's energy infrastructure in a way that delivers grid-wide benefits for all, funded by private entities."
The deal adds to a string of nuclear power agreements Google has signed this year, including a PPA with NextEra Energy to help restart Iowa's 615MW Duane Arnold plant and an offtake agreement with the owners of Finland's Loviisa nuclear station. Full details are in DCD's report.