Google to fund development of three new nuclear sites

• Published On: 08 May 2025 at 07:26

Elementl Power, a nuclear developer, announced a partnership with Google on Wednesday to develop three advanced reactor sites in a strategic move to meet data centers' rising energy demands.

The partnership represents a growing trend of tech behemoths cooperating with the nuclear industry to secure long-term, high-capacity electricity sources.

Google will offer early-stage development financing for the projects as part of the agreement, but financial details have not been published.

Each site is expected to generate at least 600 megawatts of power, with Google retaining the option to purchase the electricity once the facilities are operational. While the sites' locations were not divulged, Elementl stated that Google's financing will go toward essential pre-construction tasks such as site permitting, transmission system interconnection rights, and contract negotiations.

"Google is committed to catalyzing projects that strengthen the power grids where we operate, and advanced nuclear technology provides reliable, baseload, 24/7 energy," stated Amanda Peterson Corio, Google's global head of data center energy.

"Our collaboration with Elementl Power enhances our ability to move at the speed required to meet this moment of AI and American innovation," according to her.

Elementl Power, founded in 2022, is a nuclear power project developer that has yet to build any sites.

It is currently technology agnostic, which means it has not committed to a particular reactor type. Instead, the company intends to select the most advanced and deployment-ready reactor technology when it begins construction.

"Innovative partnerships like this are necessary to mobilize the capital required to build new nuclear projects, which are critical to deliver safe, affordable and clean baseload power and help companies advance their long-term net zero goals," commented Chris Colbert, chairman and CEO of Elementl Power.

Colbert was previously the CFO, COO, and chief strategy officer at NuScale Power.

Elementl intends to add 10 gigawatts of nuclear power to the grid by 2035, and will seek funding from infrastructure investors once its projects have reached the final investment stage.

In a parallel move, Google joined with Kairos Power, a tiny modular reactor developer, in October, agreeing to buy electricity from its future reactors. The first unit is planned to go online in 2030, with subsequent reactors going online until 2035.