Google backs 'existing nuclear plants' as AI strains US energy grid

Google has said that its data centre growth , fuelled by the artificial intelligence boom, led the company to reach a power-purchase agreement involving the upgrade of six nuclear plants in the US.

An essay posted to Google's corporate news detailed the agreement made with Constellation , which operates the "largest fleet of nuclear facilities in the US".

Through the PPA, Google says it is essentially enabling more than "1.5GW of new nuclear capacity for the US energy system from increasing the power output of existing reactors and bringing dormant facilities back online".

Technology companies continue to come under criticism in the US over the rise in data centre construction. The centres cause energy demand to surge in some areas and lead to an increase in electricity prices for consumers.

"As our data centre investments in the US continue, so does our commitment to revitalise the nation’s energy supply, support local jobs and economic opportunity, and bring new reliable electricity capacity to strengthen US grids at no cost to other ratepayers," Google said.

The company said that as part of the PPA, Constellation had agreed to use the technology company's agentic AI "workflows across its core operations to accelerate uprate planning, streamline construction and optimise plant output".

Nuclear criticism

Google is the latest among Big Tech firms to support nuclear reactors in the US, although the moves have not always been welcomed.

Critics say that many of the reactor deals include large loans from the US government, meaning citizens are paying for nuclear energy centres.

On Monday, the US Department of Energy announced the latest such deal "of up to $4.2 billion" to modernise nuclear plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

"By getting more power out of the nuclear plants we already have, we can deliver more affordable, reliable, round-the-clock energy for American families and businesses," Energy Secretary Chris Wright said.

There are also concerns about safety. Constellation's PPA with Microsoft in 2024 involved the rehabilitation of one of the Three Mile Island reactors in Middletown, Pennsylvania.

In March 1979, the core of TMI Unit 2 was partially exposed, prompting a temporary partial evacuation of the area and a lengthy clean-up around Middletown that continues to this day.

Although it is Unit 1 of TMI, closed in 2019, that is being rehabilitated, energy safety groups have continued to express concern.

And in Covert, Michigan, efforts to restart the Palisades nuclear reactor, which closed in 2022, are also under way. The owners of Palisades, Holtec International , had hoped to restart the reactor by this year, but a series of incidents have cast doubt on that goal.

In September, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission confirmed that it was investigating an incident related to a "tipped fuel assembly" that occurred while the reactor was being fuelled.

On Tuesday, however, Google did not appear concerned about the potential for opposition as it promoted its endeavour with Constellation.

"This builds a more affordable energy future for everyone," the company said. It said it was providing guaranteed revenue that Constellation "needs to invest in upgrades for 11 of their nuclear reactors, while ensuring other grid customers bear none of the associated costs".