TVA Embracing Advanced Nuclear Energy in Agreements With Google, Kairos Power, ENTRA1 Energy
TVA in recent weeks announced a pair of advanced nuclear agreements to help meet rising energy demand.
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.