Google has recently announced its plans to bring back to life a nuclear power plant that was shut down in 2020. The main motivation behind this decision is to ensure a stable and sustainable source of electricity for its AI data centers.

Through a 25-year agreement with NextEra Energy, Google is set to purchase electricity from the Duane Arnold Energy Center, a 615MW nuclear plant located in Iowa, once it recommences operations. In a blog post, Google stated, “We’re facilitating the investment needed to restart the plant and covering the production costs of energy from Duane Arnold.” The remaining electricity that Google does not utilize will be purchased by the Central Iowa Power Cooperative.

Google’s initiative to revive nuclear energy in the US comes at a time when traditional sources of power such as gas, solar, and wind face challenges due to decreasing costs. With the increasing demand for electricity from AI technologies, nuclear energy has emerged as an attractive option for providing carbon-free energy consistently to data centers.

Originally commissioned in 1975, Duane Arnold is scheduled to resume operations in 2029. However, the process of restarting a dormant nuclear plant poses significant challenges, as the US has never undertaken such a task before, according to Reuters. In a similar vein, Microsoft has also announced plans to revive a decommissioned reactor at Three Mile Island, with operations expected to resume in 2028.

Google acknowledges that reactivating an old power plant presents the quickest route to harnessing large-scale nuclear power to support the rapid growth of AI in the immediate future. Furthermore, the company is collaborating with NextEra and Kairos Power to develop advanced nuclear reactor designs. However, these innovative technologies are subject to rigorous certification and permitting processes.