Google has signed a contract to power its data centers using nuclear micro-reactors made by Kairos, but the timeline of 2030 is optimistic
The agreement promises to add around 500 megawatts of carbon-free electricity at a time when energy demand for data centers and AI is surging. Google says the new power plants will be online by the end decade. The agreement is not clear as to whether the reactors will be connected directly to Google sites (known as “behind-the-meter”) or if the power will be fed into the grid and Google will claim the carbon free power through its agreement with Kairos. Microsoft announced in September that it would be paying Constellation Energy for the restart of a Three Mile Island reactor that had been shut down in 2019. Amazon announced earlier this year that it would build a data center with a hyperscale and connect it directly to a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. Even if Kairos meets the revised target, it’s still in a race with fusion startups, many of which are aiming to turn on commercial-scale power plants before 2035. Even if Kairos meets the new target, the company is still in a race against fusion startups who are also aiming to start commercial power plants by 2035. Vogtle Units 3 & 4 in Georgia were the newest fission plants in the U.S. They were both commissioned by 2023 & 2024 respectively, ending a 7-year drought. The next newest reactor, Vogtle Units 5 & 6, was commissioned by 2016. They were still seven years behind schedule and $17 billion above budget.
SMR startup companies are trying to build nuclear power stations faster and cheaper using mass production techniques. Kairos takes the technology one step further, cooling the reactor with molten lithium fluoride salts and beryllium chloride instead of water. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the startup’s plans for a 35-megawatt demonstration reactor, something that has eluded Oklo, another SMR startup.
Despite the regulatory nod, Kairos still faces significant challenges. The economics of small-modular reactors are still largely unknown because no commercial units have yet been installed. Kairos’s molten-salt design is also contrary to decades of experience in the industry with water-cooled nuclear reactors. Pew Research reports that 44% of Americans are still opposed to nuclear power despite 56% saying they support it. Pew’s survey asked if Americans should expand nuclear power in general, but not locally. While support for nuclear energy is at a high point, more people are in favor of wind and solar power, which cost less and are readily available.
