Google and Constellation Energy have announced a long-term clean energy collaboration to bring 890 MW of new nuclear capacity to the PJM Interconnection grid, as the companies seek to support rising electricity demand and strengthen grid reliability.
Under the 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA), Constellation will invest in new equipment and technologies across 11 of its nuclear units in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The upgrades are expected to improve thermal and electrical efficiency, enabling additional firm and reliable power to be supplied to the grid.
The 890 MW of capacity represents entirely new generation capacity across the PJM footprint. According to the companies, the initiative will help sustain approximately 4,400 existing jobs, create around 7,200 construction jobs during the development period and involve more than $4.3 billion in new investment by Constellation.
In a separate agreement, Google and Constellation have entered into a 15-year energy supply agreement covering an additional 2,700 MW from Constellation’s PJM fleet. The financial arrangement is intended to support the continued delivery of energy and capacity from Constellation’s operating generation assets to the PJM market.
The collaboration also includes an expanded technology partnership under which Constellation will adopt Google Cloud and Gemini Enterprise through a five-year technology alliance. The companies plan to develop an “AI for energy” framework focused on accelerating capacity delivery, improving asset dispatch and protecting critical energy infrastructure.
The initiative is also intended to help communities served by Constellation by applying artificial intelligence to reduce the costs associated with new infrastructure, enhance plant performance, ensure adequate electricity generation to meet increasing demand and strengthen grid security.
Nuclear uprates to accelerate additional grid capacity
The companies said nuclear uprates offer a near-term route to adding firm and clean electricity capacity as power demand increases due to manufacturing, industrial electrification and digital infrastructure.
Uprates involve modernising operating nuclear facilities through upgrades to equipment such as turbines, steam generators and digital control systems. Such improvements can increase generation capacity without requiring the longer development periods and interconnection challenges associated with building new greenfield power plants.
The 890 MW of incremental capacity from the collaboration is equivalent to the output of several Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) or a large conventional nuclear reactor.
The initiative also supports the objectives of the US federal government’s UPRISE program, which promotes public-private collaboration to increase clean electricity generation from the country’s existing nuclear infrastructure.
Amanda Peterson Corio, global head of energy and power at Google, said the company is focused on supporting growth through investments in clean and reliable power. She said the agreement with Constellation to fund nuclear reactor uprates would strengthen the PJM grid, which serves 67 million people, while supporting energy affordability and local union jobs.
Joe Dominguez, chairman, president and CEO of Constellation, said maintaining and expanding the output of the existing nuclear fleet, alongside developing new clean generation, would be important to meeting the country’s growing electricity requirements while keeping costs affordable for households and businesses.
He added that the collaboration with Google could demonstrate how technology companies and the energy sector can work together to support the digital economy and invest in energy infrastructure, with private-sector funding delivering benefits across the grid.
