American technology company Google announced on Monday plans to restart a nuclear power plant in Iowa to power its artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, LETA reported, citing AFP.
In a joint press release, Google and energy company NextEra Energy announced that the Duane Arnold Energy Center, which was closed in 2020, will resume operations in 2029 "with the aim of supporting the growing cloud and AI infrastructure of Google in Iowa."
Google has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with this nuclear power plant following its restart. The plant will be 100% owned by NextEra, which has reached an agreement with minority shareholders to buy out the stake that it currently does not own.
"As the United States enters a new era of innovation and opportunity driven by AI, this strategic partnership initiative aims to enable Google to responsibly scale its business needs," the statement said, characterizing nuclear energy positively as a source of energy that is not associated with carbon emissions.
AI has become an important source of the growing demand for electricity. The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasted in April that electricity consumption from data centers will more than double by 2030.
Google also announced other initiatives to ensure energy supply, including the establishment of a joint venture with Elementl Power to develop three modern nuclear power plants in the U.S.
