AWS, Meta & the Military Go Nuclear: New Energy Deals Reshape the Grid
1.) Talen Energy and Amazon Web Services sign 1,920-MW power purchase agreement to supply PA data centers from Susquehanna nuclear power plant. Talen and AWS originally sought to expand a 300-MW contract - with Talen serving a co-located AWS data center - to 960 MW, an arrangement rejected by the FERC. The new contract will include the 300 MW w/an additional 1,620 MW in a “front of the meter” framework requiring no federal approval.
2.) Ohio Power Siting Board OK’s a 200 MW gas-fired generation facility to directly serve a new Meta data center behind the meter. Williams will employ three different variants of gas turbines, and 31 total units, including 14 reciprocating engines – none of which will be physically connected to the grid. The $1.6 bn project is expected to be completed by Q3 of 2026.
3.) Advanced geothermal company XGS Energy and Meta Platforms announce deal to develop 150 MW of geothermal energy in New Mexico, connected to local utility PNM’s power grid. A new report identifies over 160,000 MW of untapped geothermal potential in New Mexico.
4.) Enhanced geothermal company Fervo reports successful completion of a new appraisal well three miles in depth, with a projected bottomhole temperature of 520°F. The undertaking took just 16 days, and at depths of 15,000+ feet, it was able to drill 300 feet per hour. This potentially opens up much of the eastern half of the U.S. – where hot rock is deeper - as a potentially viable geothermal resource. National models suggest hundreds of thousands of MWs of geothermal potential between 10,000 and 20,000 feet with temperatures ranging from 400 to 600 °F.
5.) Modular nuclear technology company Oklo says it has received a Notice of Intent to Award by the Defense Logistics Agency Energy on behalf of the Department of the Air Force and the U.S. Department of Defense. Under this agreement, Oklo would design, construct, own, and operate a power plant to provide electricity and heat to Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska.
6.) U.S. energy storage developer Powin files for Chapter 11 relief. With an estimated 9,000 MWh of projects already deployed, Powin cited import tariffs and other political and regulatory uncertainties, especially related to the Investment Tax Credit. Last week, two residential solar companies – Sunnova and Mosaic – also filed for Chapter 11.
7.) U.S. battery swap company Ample announces a partnership in Madrid, Spain with mobility solutions provider Free2move, utilizing up to 100 adapted Fiat 500e vehicles with swappable drop-in battery packs provided by Ample.