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4w ago

Google, Kairos and TVA Seal PPA for 50 MW Oak Ridge Advanced Reactor to Serve Data Centers

The first U.S. utility contract for a Generation IV reactor ties Google's data center expansion to a 2030 startup pending NRC licensing.

A Google sign is pictured on a Google building in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., October 20, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
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In August 2025, Google, TVA, and Kairos Power signed a first-of-its-kind agreement for Hermes 2, a 50-MW advanced molten salt reactor slated to begin operations in 2030 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The deal marks the first U.S. utility PPA for electricity from a Gen IV reactor and will deliver 24/7 carbon-free energy to power Google’s expanding data centers in Tennessee and Alabama. Courtesy: Kairos Power
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Overview

  • TVA will buy up to 50 megawatts from Kairos Power’s Hermes 2 plant in Oak Ridge for delivery to its grid serving Google facilities in Montgomery County, Tennessee, and Jackson County, Alabama.
  • Hermes 2 is scheduled to start supplying power in 2030, with an NRC construction permit already issued and an operating license still required.
  • The deal launches a multi-site program between Google and Kairos that aims to develop roughly 500 megawatts of advanced nuclear capacity by 2035.
  • The reactor uses a fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature design with molten salt coolant and HALEU fuel, a fuel supply the U.S. is still scaling.
  • Oak Ridge partners plan workforce pipelines, including a University of Tennessee simulator and training programs for future operators and engineers.