nuclear-news

US nuclear plants won’t power up Big Tech’s AI ambitions right away

Reuters, By Laila Kearney and Timothy Gardner, September 25, 2024

 A plan by Microsoft, opens new tab to use the restart of a Three Mile
Island nuclear reactor to help power its expanding data centers reflects
the tech industry’s hopes nuclear energy can be a quick and
[?] climate-friendly answer to its massive electricity needs.

But it will be tough to swiftly meet soaring power demand from the data centers behind
artificial intelligence with new or resurrected nuclear reactors, as
companies will face high regulatory hurdles, potential fuel supply
obstacles, and sometimes stiff local and environmental opposition.

U.S. data center power use is expected to roughly triple between 2023 and 2030
and will require about 47 gigawatts of new generation capacity, according
to Goldman Sachs estimates, which assumed natural gas, wind and solar would
fill the gap.

Climate conscious investors and regulators are keen to ensure
this spike does not trigger a huge rise in greenhouse gas emissions. In
general, simply purchasing power from nuclear plants to run data centers
just means diverting it away from other consumers, creating competition for
supplies on the grid that could potentially drive up power bills.

In the meantime, the Three Mile Island project is posing a major test of public
appetite for expanded nuclear power. Talabi said four years is likely
enough for Constellation to address any technical issues at Three Mile
Island, which could be substantial when sensitive components such as steam
generators and reactor vessels have been closed for years.

 Reuters 24th Sept 2024, https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/us-nuclear-plants-wont-power-up-big-techs-ai-ambitions-right-away-2024-09-24/

September 26, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | ENERGY