You know that America’s electrical grid is frail. Environmentalists have vilified reliable coal power generation and the expansion of pipeline systems for natural gas. More power generation has been shifted to less reliable renewable sources like solar and wind. Big tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta (formerly known as Facebook) will soon be demanding massive amounts of additional power from the grid for their artificial intelligence data centers. Without major additions of new generation capacity, the grid will be put at risk. You have read about the nuclear ambitions of Amazon and Microsoft, now Meta is making its own plans. Timothy Gardner reports in Reuters:
WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) – Meta (META.O), opens new tab said on Tuesday it is seeking proposals from nuclear power developers to help meet its artificial intelligence and environment goals, becoming the latest big tech company to take interest in atomic power amid an expected boom in electricity demand.
The company wants to add 1 to 4 gigawatts of new U.S. nuclear generation capacity starting in the early 2030s, it said in a release. A typical U.S. nuclear plant has a capacity of about 1 gigawatt.
“At Meta, we believe nuclear energy will play a pivotal role in the transition to a cleaner, more reliable, and diversified electric grid,” the company said in a release.
U.S. data center power use is expected to roughly triple between 2023 and 2030 and will require about 47 gigawatts of new generation capacity, according to Goldman Sachs estimates.
But it will be tough to swiftly meet soaring power demand with nuclear reactors, as companies face an overburdened U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, potential uranium fuel supply obstacles and local opposition.
Action Line: These big tech companies are loaded with cash and don’t need the same sort of financing others have when attempting to build nuclear power plants. It’s possible big tech could succeed at driving a nuclear renaissance in America where others have failed. Click here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter.
