Kairos to Power Google with 500 MW of USA Nuclear Projects

Kairos Power and Google are partnering to deploy a fleet of advanced nuclear power projects in the USA.

The two companies have signed a master plant development agreement, aiming to establish nuclear power projects totaling 500 megawatts (MW) by 2035, Kairos Power said.

Under the agreement, Kairos Power will develop, construct, and operate a series of advanced reactor plants and sell energy, ancillary services, and environmental attributes to Google under power purchase agreements (PPAs).

The plants will be sited in relevant service territories to supply clean electricity to Google data centers, with the first deployment by 2030 to support Google’s 24/7 carbon-free energy and net zero goals, according to the release.

The multi-plant agreement will support technology development by extending Kairos Power’s iterative demonstration strategy through its first commercial deployments. Building on progress from the early iterations, each new plant will enable continued learning and optimization to support accelerated commercialization. Along the way, milestone-based accountability baked into the agreement “will establish confidence in Kairos Power’s ability to deliver throughout the long-term partnership,” the California-based company said.

“Our partnership with Google will enable Kairos Power to quickly advance down the learning curve as we drive toward cost and schedule certainty for our commercial product,” Mike Laufer, Kairos Power CEO and co-founder, said. “By coming alongside in the development phase, Google is more than just a customer. They are a partner who deeply understands our innovative approach and the potential it can deliver”.

“Having an agreement for multiple deployments is important to accelerate the commercialization of advanced nuclear energy by demonstrating the technical and market viability of a solution critical to decarbonizing power grids while delivering much-needed energy generation and capacity,” Jeff Olson, Kairos Power Vice President for Business Development and Finance, said. “This early commitment from Google provides a strong customer demand signal, which reinforces Kairos Power’s continued investment in our iterative development approach and commercial production scale-up”.

According to the release, Google has signed more than 115 agreements totaling over 14 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy generation capacity since 2010. The power generated under the agreement will complement Google’s existing use of variable renewables such as solar and wind.

“This landmark announcement will accelerate the transition to clean energy as Google and Kairos Power look to add 500 MW of new 24/7 carbon-free power to U.S. electricity grids,” Michael Terrell, Google Senior Director of Energy and Climate, said. “This agreement is a key part of our effort to commercialize and scale the advanced energy technologies we need to reach our net zero and 24/7 carbon-free energy goals and ensure that more communities benefit from clean and affordable power in the future”.

Kairos Power describes itself as a mission-driven nuclear technology, engineering, and manufacturing company singularly focused on commercializing the fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR) – a clean energy solution that can be deployed with robust safety at an affordable cost to enable deep decarbonization.

Founded in 2016, the company applies a rapid iterative development approach and vertical integration strategy to bring advanced reactor technology to market. In 2023, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a construction permit for Kairos Power’s Hermes demonstration reactor.

To contact the author, email [email protected]