The online shopping and web services giant, together with Washington state utility Energy Northwest and technology developer X-energy aim to build up to 12 small modular reactors (SMRs) near Energy Northwest's Columbia Generating Station.
Amazon is one of a growing number of data centre operators - including Microsoft, Google and Meta - choosing nuclear energy as a way to get reliable energy that is carbon-free.
The first phase is for four SMRs to make up the initial 320 MW block - in a blog post Amazon says that construction is "currently expected to start by the end of this decade, with operations targeted to start in the 2030s".
The eventual aim is to have three blocks totalling 960 MW of capacity (Image: Amazon/X-energy)
Kara Hurst, Amazon’s chief sustainability officer, said: "This project isn't just about new technology; it's about creating a reliable source of carbon-free energy that will support our growing digital world. I'm excited about the potential of SMRs and the positive impact they will have on both the environment and local communities."
Clay Sell, CEO of X-energy said: "One year ago, we set out with Amazon to reimagine the way in which we advance new energy projects in the United States, and how we power technologies like AI that are driving our economy forward. Over the past year, the support of Amazon has enabled us to accelerate progress on our technology, grow our team with world-class talent and expertise, and position the Cascade Advanced Energy Center at the forefront of energy innovation. The scale of this work is historic, and we are privileged to have world-class partners like Amazon and Energy Northwest in this effort."
(Image: Amazon/X-energy)
The Cascade Advanced Energy Center project is part of Amazon's aim to bring more than 5 GW of new nuclear energy in the USA by 2039. The company and X-energy recently signed an agreement with South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power to accelerate the deployment of new SMRs.
The Xe-100 is a Generation IV advanced reactor design which X-energy says is based on decades of high temperature gas-cooled reactor operation, research, and development. Designed to operate as a standard 320 MWe four-pack power plant or scaled in units of 80 MWe. At 200 MWt of 565°C steam, the Xe-100 is also suitable for other power applications including mining and heavy industry. The Xe-100 uses tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) particle fuel, which has additional safety benefits because it can withstand very high temperatures without melting,
X-energy says its design makes it road-shippable with accelerated construction timelines and more predictable and manageable construction costs, and is well-suited to meet the requirements of energy-intensive data centres. The initial Xe-100 plant is being developed at Dow Inc's UCC Seadrift Operations site on the Texas Gulf Coast, which would be the first nuclear reactor deployed to serve an industrial site in the USA.
Amazon estimates that the Cascade Advanced Energy Center will provide at least 1,000 jobs during construction and more than 100 permanent ones. It says that Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Washington, has secured US government funding to launch the Energy Learning Center which will include a training simulator that replicates the Xe-100 control room.
Under the agreement announced a year ago, Amazon would have the right to purchase electricity from the first phase, while Energy Northwest will have the option to build the further eight modules, with the additional power being available to Amazon and utilities in the area.