- TVA plans to buy power from Kairos’s 50MW Hermes-2 reactor in Oak Ridge by about 2030 to support Google’s regional data centres.
- The deal is billed as a first-of-its-kind Gen-IV arrangement between a US utility and an advanced reactor developer.
What happened: TVA–Kairos–Google strike Gen-IV deal
Google has selected Tennessee for its first advanced nuclear project in partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Kairos Power. Under the arrangement, TVA would procure electricity from Kairos’s Hermes-2 unit—targeted at around 50MW—and allocate clean-energy attributes to Google’s nearby data centres. Key terms and context are detailed by Financial Times and AP News.
The project will feed TVA’s grid rather than directly behind-the-meter, aligning with Google’s 24/7 clean-energy goals while helping TVA pilot advanced nuclear within its portfolio. Reports note first power is aimed for about 2030, with a broader pathway of up to 500MW of future capacity if the prototype succeeds. Additional coverage comes from Bloomberg and Power Magazine.
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Why it’s important
If Hermes-2 arrives on time and on budget, it could serve as a practical blueprint for scaling advanced nuclear to meet AI-era power needs while reducing emissions. Still, real hurdles remain: Gen-IV units must secure licences, obtain specialised fuel, and manage first-of-a-kind build risks—the same mix that has delayed US nuclear projects before.
For Google and peers, nuclear’s firm output could diversify beyond volatile renewables and scarce grid capacity. But critics will ask whether a 50MW pilot can meaningfully dent multi-hundred-megawatt campus needs, and at what price. Success will depend on repeatability, financing, and grid integration—otherwise the model may remain a PR milestone rather than a scalable power solution.
