The corporation has established agreements in the state of Virginia and the state of Washington.
There have been three new agreements announced by Amazon for the construction of small modular reactors (SMRs). The size of these nuclear reactors is lower than that of regular ones, which enables them to be constructed more quickly and in closer proximity to the grid. Recent announcements have been made by both Microsoft and Google on their respective stakes in nuclear power.
As part of one of the agreements, Energy Northwest, a consortium of state public utilities located in Washington, is working toward the development of four small modular reactors (SMRs). Initially, it is anticipated that it will generate approximately 320 megawatts, with the capacity to develop to 960 megawatts. The second partnership is with X-energy, which is supplying Energy Northwest with a cutting-edge nuclear reactor design for their endeavor. On the opposite coast, Amazon is collaborating with Dominion Energy to study the possibility of developing a small modular reactor (SMR) project in the vicinity of the utility company’s existing nuclear power facility in Virginia. In the region, it has the potential to supply 300 megawatts of power.
Additional information regarding these changes was provided by Amazon in a video that was uploaded to YouTube. Amazon also asserts that these agreements will result in the creation of new employment opportunities. For instance, Energy Northwest has reported that the deal will result in the creation of around one hundred permanent jobs and one thousand temporary construction positions after it is finished.
In the summer of this year, Amazon made the announcement that it has accomplished its objective of synchronizing its global energy consumption with renewable energy sources seven years earlier than its target date of 2030. However, a number of Amazon employees and environmental experts have criticized the corporation of “distorting the truth” due to the fact that the claim is based on investments of billions of dollars in wind and solar ventures. What exactly is the issue? Amazon is not the only company that makes use of these sources; rather, they are included into a larger power infrastructure.