The American nuclear industry is making headlines seemingly every week, with developments in construction, innovation, legislation, and regulation. Recently, there have been a number of stories about large tech companies embracing nuclear energy. Consider these stories:
- “Microsoft deal would reopen Three Mile Island nuclear plant to power AI”
- “Amazon goes nuclear, to invest more than $500 million to develop small modular reactors”
- “Amazon and Google have plans for fueling their data centers: Nuclear power”
- “Oracle will use three small nuclear reactors to power new 1-gigawatt AI data center”
Why are some of the largest corporations, who are the biggest consumers of energy, trying to get nuclear plants up and running?
In my view, energy security—access to sufficient, affordable, and reliable energy—is the key motivator. These corporations likely foresee potential shortfalls in energy supply, particularly for sources that can meet demand at any time.
As these headlines show, corporations are even willing to go “behind-the-meter” in order to have access to clean, reliable, and consistent nuclear power. Behind-the-meter refers to the practice of purchasing power directly from a plant, bypassing tradition utility infrastructure. For Missouri, these national trends again highlight the need to seriously consider nuclear power as a solution to building a reliable grid for the future.
What Big Tech is Saying about Energy
A strong and reliable electric grid is vital. Demand for electricity is growing because of data centers, artificial intelligence, electrical manufacturing, and electric vehicles. More than ever, citizens rely on energy to power their daily lives.
Michael Terrell, senior director for energy and climate at Google, said this:
We feel like nuclear can play an important role in helping to meet our demand, and helping meet our demand cleanly, in a way that’s more around the clock.
When major corporations, whose profits depend on uninterrupted power, express concern about future electricity demand, it is worth paying attention.
A Warning Sign for Missouri
Missouri is not doomed, but if you see a bear running away from something in the woods, it is wise to at least consider why it is running. Big Tech’s movement toward nuclear may be a similar warning signal.
Missouri needs to be prepared for an immense energy transition. Amending the Construction Works in Progress (CWIP) law is one way forward. This would open the door for nuclear construction by allowing utilities to gradually recover costs during construction as opposed to all at once afterwards. Investing in more nuclear power is an investment in a strong, reliable power source that we will need as energy demands continue to increase.
