Google, Constellation unveil ‘AI for Energy’ plan to boost nuclear power for electric grid
Google and Constellation Energy announced a deal Tuesday to increase output from existing U.S. nuclear plants and use Google’s artificial intelligence tools to help manage energy operations.
Under a 20-year power purchase agreement, Google will support upgrades at 11 Constellation-owned nuclear units in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The companies say the work will add 890 megawatts of power to the PJM electric grid, which serves about 67 million people across 13 states and Washington, D.C.
The added power is roughly equal to the output of a new nuclear reactor, but the companies are not building one. Instead, Constellation will upgrade equipment at its existing plants, including turbines, steam generators and digital control systems. The first increase in power is expected in 2028.
The companies also announced an “AI for Energy” plan that will put Google Cloud and Gemini Enterprise tools to work at Constellation.
Constellation plans to use the technology to help choose sites, model power flows, speed up permitting and grid connections, monitor equipment and manage outages. Google’s technology will also be used to help protect critical energy infrastructure.
“We’re committed to meeting our growth responsibly by actively investing in clean, reliable power that brings new capacity to our nation’s grids,” Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s global head of energy and power, said in a news release announcing the deal.
Constellation said the nuclear upgrades represent more than $4.3 billion in investment and are expected to create about 7,200 construction jobs while supporting roughly 4,400 existing jobs.
Google and Constellation also signed a separate 15-year agreement covering 2,700 megawatts of Constellation’s existing power generation and agreed to explore other energy projects in the U.S.