Constellation's Deal with Google to Boost Nuclear Capacity

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Written by Will Ploch, Assistant Editor-in-Chief for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Constellation Energy and Google recently agreed to a power-purchase agreement that will bolster nuclear-generation capacity across three U.S. states and support the restart of a long-shuttered nuclear-power plant in Pennsylvania. The move follows as similar deal between Constellation and Microsoft.

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A Brighter Future for Nuclear

Constellation Energy Corporation has struck a 20-year power-purchase agreement with Alphabet Incorporated, the parent company of Google, that it says will enable investments in new equipment and technology for 11 units at Constellation's nine operational nuclear power plants--as well as a closed plant set to be restarted--in Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Industrial Info Resources is tracking more than $2.5 billion worth of active and proposed projects at these plants, about $1.6 billion of which is attributed to the restart.

According to Industrial Info Resources data, Constellation currently is proposing capital investments at seven of its 12 nuclear plants, as well as maintenance projects across its entire fleet. The company said in a press release that its arrangement with Google will allow it to add 890 megawatts (MW) of carbon-free power generation to the grid through targeted investments.

Typical of the projects Constellation is pursuing at its operational plants is the digital modernization of Unit 2 at its Limerick Nuclear Power Station in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The company aims to modify and upgrade a variety of protection systems on the 1,150-MW unit, a steam turbine powered by a GE Hitachi Boiling Water Reactor. The project is slated for kickoff in the second quarter of 2027.

Industrial Info Resources offers more information on the Limerick modernization in its Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Plant and Project databases, where readers can find details--including construction schedules, investment values and necessary equipment--in a plant profile and a detailed project report.

Data Centers a Quiet Factor

As part of its arrangement with Google, Constellation selected Google Cloud and its platform, Gemini Enterprise, "under an expanded five-year technology alliance to establish an 'AI for energy' blueprint that will accelerate capacity delivery, optimize asset dispatch, and protect critical infrastructure."

While data centers were not mentioned directly in the press release, their role in the nuclear buildout is unmistakable: Industrial Info Resources is tracking more than $450 billion worth of active and proposed data-center projects across Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, nearly $20 billion of which is under construction. Readers can learn more from a detailed list of project reports.

Altogether, the deal with Google represents more than $4.3 billion of new investment by Constellation, according to the press release.

By the Numbers

• About $1.25 billion: Total investment value (TIV) for active and proposed projects at Constellation's nuclear plants
• 890 MW: Total amount of carbon-free power generation Constellation expects to add to the grid through its deal with Google
• More than $450 billion: TIV for active and proposed data-center projects across Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania

Moving on Uprates

Among the projects set to be supported by the Constellation-Google deal are nuclear uprates, which boost the maximum power to be generated from individual units. The companies pointed to uprates, which must be approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), as "practical, near-term mechanism to deploy firm, clean megawatts."

"By modernizing and upgrading turbines, steam generators, and digital control systems at operating plants, uprates deliver substantial capacity gains without the multi-year timelines or interconnection bottlenecks associated with greenfield construction," Constellation and Google said in their press release.

Constellation is proposing a series of uprates at its nuclear plant in Byron, Illinois, where it seeks to replace:

• a high-pressure turbine on Unit 1; see project report
• a high-pressure turbine on Unit 2; see project report
• a low-pressure turbine on Unit 2; see project report

Units 1 and 2 currently generate up to 1,164 and 1,136 MW, respectively; each of the high-pressure replacements is expected to add 80 MW of generation, while the low-pressure addition is expected to add 40 MW. Readers also can consult a plant profile.

Constellation and Google also said their arrangement "directly advances the goals of the federal government's UPRISE program, which encourages public-private collaboration to maximize clean electricity output from existing American nuclear infrastructure." The Utility Power Reactor Incremental Scaling Effort (UPRISE) program, which is led by the U.S. Department of Energy and guided by Executive Orders from U.S. President Donald Trump, focuses on uprates and streamlined regulatory processes at existing nuclear plants.

Microsoft Also in Constellation's Orbit

In addition to Constellation's nine operational nuclear plants, the company is seeking to restart Unit 1 at the Crane Clean Energy Center near Middletown, Pennsylvania. Formerly known as the Three Mile Island Plant, the complex incurred a partial meltdown in 1979 on Unit 2, which has remained offline ever since.

Unit 1, which safely ceased operations in 2019 amid financial losses, has been eyed for a revival: In September 2024, Constellation signed a 20-year power-purchase agreement with Microsoft Corporation to restart Unit 1 and rename it the Crane Clean Energy Center. Under the arrangement, the plant will generate 835 MW, which will be purchased by Microsoft to power its data centers.

Readers can learn more about the Crane Clean Energy Center in a plant profile and a detailed project report.

The Industrial Info Resources GMI Project and Plant databases offer a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article.

Industrial Info Resources also offers a full list of reports for active and proposed projects at Constellation's nuclear plants, as well as a full list of plant profiles.

Key Takeaways

• Constellation currently is proposing capital investments at seven of its 12 nuclear plants.
• Its deal with Google mainly supports nuclear uprates, which boost the maximum power to be generated from individual units.
• Another deal with Microsoft would allow Constellation to restart a nuclear unit in Pennsylvania that ceased operations in 2019.

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news, and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing, and energy-related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified, and verified plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).