Google on Monday announced a new agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Kairos Power, confirming the utility will purchase power from a new type of nuclear reactor that is being constructed at the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge.
The technology company said it signed a power purchase agreement that will bolster the construction of a fourth-generation small modular reactor (SMR), specifically Kairos Power’s Hermes 2 reactor, which will begin producing enough energy to power around 50,000 American homes by 2030.
Rather than use the power directly, Google is purchasing clean energy credits from TVA, which will, in turn, purchase electricity produced by the clean energy SMR owned by Kairos Power. According to Kairos Power, the agreement with Google allowed it to increase the output of its East Tennessee facility from 28 megawatts to 50 megawatts.
A press release from the three companies explained the announcement is part of Google’s commitment to purchasing 500 megawatts of energy credits by 2035 as it seeks to acquire the energy necessary for its ambitions in the artificial intelligence (AI) field.
“The world is looking for American leadership, and this first-of-a-kind agreement is the start of an innovative way of doing business,” said TVA President and CEO Don Moul, who began leading the utility earlier this year. “By developing a technology, a supply chain, and a delivery model that can build an industry to unleash American energy, we can attract and support companies like Google and help America win the AI race.”
Moul’s tenure as the top executive at TVA came after the appointment of multiple new board members following both the reelection of President Donald Trump and the release of an op-ed authored by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN), who said nuclear energy, specifically from SMRs, was of paramount importance to the nation’s energy supply. TVA filed its own request to build its own SMR in May.
Both Blackburn and Hagerty expressed approval in response to the Monday announcement by Google, TVA, and Kairos Power.
“Tennessee should be America’s leader in nuclear energy to secure our nation’s energy independence and protect national security,” said Blackburn. “This partnership will strengthen both Tennessee and America’s leadership in innovative nuclear energy, fuel economic growth in Oak Ridge, and help meet the country’s growing demand for energy.”
Hagerty similarly called the new technology “essential to unleashing American energy,” and said it would help usher in “a nuclear renaissance that secures our competitive edge in the global market.”
The plan also drew approval from the Trump administration, as U.S. Energy Secretary Sean Duffy similarly said it would help achieve American dominance in AI.
“The Department of Energy has assisted Kairos Power with overcoming technical, operational, and regulatory challenges as a participant in the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, and DOE will continue to help accelerate the next American nuclear renaissance,” said Duffy.
The Trump administration was recently credited by musical artist and pundit John Rich after TVA credited the president for the utility’s decision to cease considering a residential neighborhood in Cheatham, Tennessee, as the site for a new power plant.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
