Google to power data centres with first deployment of Hermes 2 nuclear plant

Image source: Unsplash. Representative

Google said Monday it will source power from Kairos Power's Hermes 2 advanced nuclear reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a three-party agreement with Kairos Power and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). 

The deployment marks the first time a US utility will purchase electricity from a Generation IV reactor.

The deal, struck last year, will see TVA buy 50 megawatts (MW) of electricity from the Hermes 2 plant when it begins operations in 2030. 

Google will procure clean energy attributes from TVA to help supply its data centres in Montgomery County, Tennessee, and Jackson County, Alabama.

Google first partnered with Kairos Power in October 2024 to explore up to 500 MW of nuclear power through multiple small modular reactor deployments. The Hermes 2 project is the first step in that plan.

The company said the arrangement demonstrates how customers, utilities, and developers can work together to bring next-generation energy technologies to the grid.

"Nuclear is the bedrock of the future of energy security. Google stepping in and helping shoulder the burden of the cost and risk for first-of-a-kind nuclear projects not only helps Google get to those solutions, but it keeps us from having to burden our customers with development of that technology. So it’s not just good for Google. It's good for TVA's 10 million customers. It's good for the United States," Don Moul, CEO, TVA, said.