Alphabet Inc. agreed to fund capacity increases at two nuclear plants operated by a Southern Co. subsidiary that will add about 96 megawatts of new supplies amid a data center-driven jump in electricity demand.
Alphabet’s Google will finance so-called uprates at the Vogtle and Hatch nuclear plants in Georgia via a new tariff, according to a statement Monday. An uprate is a way of expanding power output from a reactor by doing things such as replacing some mechanical gear.
Southern’s Georgia Power subsidiary co-owns the Vogtle and Hatch facilities, and the parent’s Southern Nuclear business operates them. The arrangement is subject to regulatory approval.
The deal comes amid growing scrutiny over who should pay for additional power infrastructure needed to accommodate soaring energy demand. The agreement with Google will help shield residential and other industrial customers from the cost of the upgrades, Georgia Power said.
In a similar arrangement last year, Constellation Energy Corp. agreed to sell power from an Illinois nuclear plant to Meta Platforms Inc., while investing in improvements to the facility’s infrastructure.
Nuclear power has emerged as one of the biggest winners from the AI-fueled surge in electricity demand due to its ability to provide carbon-free, round-the-clock power. Upgrades of existing plants typically take far less than the years required to construct brand-new facilities.
— Reported by Julia Amann, Bloomberg News