More details: The Google data centers set to be served by this PPA are in Montgomery County, Tenn., and Jackson County, Ala. The reactor that will be providing the power is Kairos’s Hermes 2, which is slated to enter commercial operation in 2030.
Kairos also announced that it is reenvisioning its plans for the Hermes 2 project, increasing its output from 28 MWe to 50 MWe. In an interview with CNBC, Kairos CEO Mike Laufer said that subsequent commercial deployments of the Hermes reactor will have a additional increased output of 75 MWe.
Laufer also said that he aims to use Hermes 2 as an opportunity to continue developing their broader deployment plans. The project, he hopes, will help Kairos refine a standardized reactor design and develop the needed supply chain and manufacturing infrastructure.
Background: Last October, Kairos entered into a multiplant PPA in which it agreed to supply Google with 500 MW of power by 2035. According to Google, it was one of more than 170 PPAs it entered into from 2010 to 2024, totaling more than 22 GW of energy from various clean-power technologies. This new agreement represents the next step in actualizing that plan.
This news also comes as Kairos continues to make significant progress for its Hermes low-power test reactor in Oak Ridge, Tenn., where first concrete was poured in May. Also in Oak Ridge, the company recently installed a reactor vessel at its third Engineering Test Unit, which will serve “as a testing and training platform to ensure safe and efficient operation of the Hermes reactor,” according to Kairos chief technology officer Edward Blandford.
Quotables: “The Department of Energy has assisted Kairos Power with overcoming technical, operational, and regulatory challenges as a participant in the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, and DOE will continue to help accelerate the next American nuclear renaissance,” said Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
“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,” said Don Moul, TVA CEO.
