The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in recent weeks announced a series of advanced nuclear energy partnerships that are expected to help the company reliably and affordably meet customers’ evolving energy needs in the years ahead.

In August, TVA entered into a power purchase agreement with Google and Kairos Power. Through the agreement, TVA will purchase electricity from Kairos Power’s Hermes 2 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn., delivering up to 50 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the TVA grid that powers Google data centers in Tennessee and Alabama.

The deal drew recognition from several Tennessee lawmakers, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who praised the companies involved and touted advanced nuclear technologies as “essential to U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) dominance and energy leadership.”

Unlike traditional nuclear reactors, the Oak Ridge plant will rely on a fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor. Construction on the facility began late last year, and it is expected to come online by 2030.

“Energy security is national security, and electricity is the strategic commodity that is the building block for AI and our nation’s economic prosperity,” TVA President and CEO Don Moul said in a statement. “The world is looking for American leadership, and this first-of-a-kind agreement is the start of an innovative way of doing business.”

Separately, TVA in September announced an agreement with ENTRA1 Energy to develop a series of small modular reactors (SMRs) capable of delivering up to 6 gigawatts of new nuclear generation to TVA’s service territory. That sort of capacity is projected to power 4.5 million homes or 60 new data centers.

The deal stands as the largest SMR deployment program announced in the United States to date, potentially helping TVA meet rising energy demand driven by data centers and AI, industrialization and the reshoring of manufacturing activity, and the broader electrification of the economy.

"TVA is leading the nation in pursuing new nuclear technologies,” said Moul, noting that the deal “highlights the vital role public-private partnerships play in advancing next-generation nuclear technologies.”

EEI member companies will invest more than $1.1 trillion during the next five years to strengthen America’s energy grid and develop new critical energy infrastructure projects of all kinds. New and existing nuclear technologies play a vital role in America’s diverse energy mix, with advanced nuclear projects touted as a  promising source of reliable, affordable, 24/7 energy.

SMRs and advanced nuclear technologies were popular topics at EEI 2025—the electric power industry’s premier conference and thought leadership forum—in New Orleans earlier this year. Tune into the EEI 2025 Highlights series from the Electric Perspectives podcast to learn more about nuclear energy’s role in powering America’s energy future.

The Diablo Canyon facility is California's only nuclear power plant in operation and generates nearly 9 percent of the state's electricity. (Photo: Pacific Gas & Electric Company)

Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) recently launched an on-site generative artificial intelligence (AI) program at its Diablo Canyon Power Plant, marking the first time such technology has been commercially deployed at a U.S. nuclear plant.

The program, developed by technology company Atomic Canyon using Nvidia’s AI platform, is helping facility operators with document search and retrieval, saving time and significant cost while improving operational efficiency. PG&E estimates it maintains billions of pages of technical documentation to adhere to federal and state regulations and that its new AI capabilities will cut search times from hours to seconds.

“Atomic Canyon’s AI solutions will enable faster data retrieval, boosting collaboration and ensuring continued safe, but more efficient, operations,” PG&E Vice President of Business and Technical Services at Diablo Canyon Power Plant Maureen Zawalick said in a statement. “Accessing critical information in seconds will let us focus on what truly matters—delivering reliable clean energy safely and affordably.”

The Diablo Canyon facility opened in 1985 and is California’s only nuclear power plant in operation. It is surrounded by 12,000 acres of coastal terrain between Los Angeles and San Jose. The plant generates nearly 9 percent of the state’s electricity and will be critical to meeting growing customer demand and California’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2045. The California Energy Commission estimates energy demand in the state will increase 43 percent during the next 15 years.

“With skyrocketing energy demands and increased support from tech leaders, we are witnessing the growing excitement and need for nuclear energy in real time,” said Atomic Canyon Founder Trey Lauderdale. “This is the future of nuclear plant operations, and we’re just scratching the surface.”

Nuclear energy has generated attention around the world in recent years as demand for electricity accelerates. Georgia Power made headlines in 2023 and 2024 for completing Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in Waynesboro, Ga. They were the first newly constructed nuclear facilities to be built in the United States in more than 30 years. Plant Vogtle Unit 4 was recently named a finalist for the Edison Award, which will be issued at EEI 2025 in New Orleans in June.

AI technologies and the data centers that power them also have been a central focus for the electric power industry—because of their substantial energy needs and their potential to revolutionize how electric companies operate and serve their customers. AES last year launched Maximo, an AI-powered robot designed to help install solar panels. And, Avangrid recently launched a new AI program to help technicians more quickly troubleshoot and resolve issues on wind turbines.