Why we're backing America's existing nuclear plants

Today, we are announcing a major new energy collaboration with Constellation Energy to bring 890 megawatts (MW) of additional clean, reliable nuclear capacity to the PJM grid and deploy Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise to help Constellation optimize their nuclear plant operations.

Driven by Google’s data center growth, this financing for physical and digital upgrades at six operating nuclear plants across Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, will unlock more power from our existing energy system for all customers while sustaining roughly 4,400 existing jobs and supporting approximately 7,200 new construction jobs.

With this power purchase agreement (PPA) with Constellation, Google has now enabled over 1.5 GW of new nuclear capacity for the U.S. energy system from increasing the power output of existing reactors and bringing dormant facilities back online. As our data center investments in the U.S. continue, so does our commitment to revitalize the nation’s energy supply, support local jobs and economic opportunity, and bring new reliable electricity capacity to strengthen U.S. grids at no cost to other ratepayers.

How nuclear uprates work

Nuclear power is a critical backbone of the U.S. energy system. It generates nearly 20% of U.S. electricity and provides reliable baseload power that ensures the grid remains stable for everyone.

As electricity demand grows in the U.S., the fastest new megawatt is often the one that can be provided by existing infrastructure. With 94 nuclear reactors operating across the U.S., there’s significant opportunity to unleash more nuclear capacity from the nation’s existing nuclear fleet both quickly and cost-effectively.

A nuclear uprate modernizes turbines, steam generators, and digital control systems to boost the power output of an existing reactor. By serving as the anchor customer for these uprate projects, we’re providing the long-term revenue certainty Constellation needs to invest in upgrades for 11 of their nuclear reactors, while ensuring other grid customers bear none of the associated costs.

Before the end of 2032, these uprate projects will add 890 MW of firm, 24/7 clean power to the PJM grid, which spans 13 states across the industrial Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern U.S and serves 67 million Americans. That’s roughly the equivalent to adding an entirely new large reactor to the electricity system. And it's happening years quicker than building one from the ground up, enabling significant cost savings for the system and strengthening the PJM grid.

Under this expanded collaboration, Constellation is deploying Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise agentic workflows across its core operations to accelerate uprate planning, streamline construction, and optimize plant output—delivering secure, low-cost capacity to the grid sooner.

How Google is revitalizing nuclear power in the U.S.

The United States Department of Energy has set a goal to enable 5 GW of domestic nuclear energy expansion by 2030 through uprates and restarts of the legacy nuclear fleet. By the end of the decade, Google's agreements to revitalize existing nuclear infrastructure are expected to enable nearly 25% of this national goal. Our long-term offtake provides the certainty that projects require in order to stand-up supply chains, invest in a skilled labor force, and secure the most efficient sources of capital.

Beyond this latest deal with Constellation, we’re working across several U.S. states to accelerate nuclear power and the benefits it brings for energy affordability, jobs and workforce development, and local economic opportunity. For example:

• In Georgia, we signed an agreement with Georgia Power to support nuclear uprates across four reactor units, which is expected to enable approximately $900 million in ratepayer benefits — adding new capacity for Georgia Power customers and unlocking system-wide energy savings for local families and businesses.
• In Iowa, we are collaborating with NextEra Energy to restart the Duane Arnold Energy Center, bringing over 600 MW of carbon-free nuclear power online while supporting thousands of jobs and widespread economic benefits for the state.
• In Tennessee, we are partnering with Kairos Power and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to deploy advanced nuclear reactors and reinvest in Oak Ridge, turning the home of some of the biggest technological breakthroughs in nuclear history into a hub for next-generation nuclear innovation.

Through our growing data center investments in the U.S., we’re continuing to build a portfolio of nuclear partnerships that bring new, reliable clean power to local grids for decades to come. These efforts advance our long-standing approach to scale the deployment of clean firm technologies that add incremental capacity to the electricity system.

This builds a more affordable energy future for everyone.