The United States of America has been renowned for its abundant nuclear resources ever since the Cold War, in which there was a possibility of the nation using nuclear weapons during war. Today, the U.S is heavily committed to developing nuclear energy facilities to generate clean energy for its residents. As such, the most recent news revealed that Amazon partnered with Energy Northwest to advance next-generation nuclear power deployment in Washington State.
A major nuclear energy breakthrough is imminent in Washington state
The energy industry is seeing an increased number of collaborations among corporations as they are trying to assist each other with managing the massive costs and complicated nature of energy projects that one company cannot handle on its own. This time, it is Amazon and Energy Northwest that have decided to partner up with a strategy in mind. The primary focus of the collaboration is to deploy futuristic or next-generation small modular reactors (SMRs) that guarantee reliable, carbon-free power. A few people were surprised by this specific collaboration, considering that Energy Northwest is an energy-centered company. In contrast, Amazon is an online store that has transitioned into becoming a technology leader in e-commerce, cloud computing, and AI.
The company has shown an increasing desire to invest in energy projects because it wants to power operations with 100% renewable energy. The company intends to reach net-zero carbon by 2040. Some people might ask what’s in it for Amazon to gain? Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers have high energy demands, which it hopes to manage through its involvement in energy projects.
A partnership that aims to turn a new page in the Pacific Northwest of Washington State
Amazon has partnered up with Energy Northwest and reactor developer X-energy to establish the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility outside Richland. This upcoming facility is expected to use Xe-100 SMRs, an advanced reactor design that produces 80 MW per unit. There is a lot of strategic planning that went into the project. For instance, the first phase of the project will contain four reactors that can generate about 320 MW of carbon-free power. Interestingly, the companies involved have even bigger and better plans to scale up to 12 reactors and 960 MW. To put these numbers into perspective, they represent enough electricity to provide electricity for approximately 770,000 U.S homes.
Understanding the increased reliance on SMRs in nuclear energy developments
Small modular reactors are increasingly becoming a huge part of energy-generating projects. The reason for their growing usage is that they are proven to be more compact, safer, and faster to construct compared to the typical large nuclear plants. As technological innovation continues to reach new heights, it also spreads into the energy industry, hence there is a trend of companies eliminating traditional resources and instilling newer, modernized ones. SMRs are also space-efficient as they only require a smaller amount of space, which is a feature that can reduce costs compared to the typical designs.
Amazon and Energy Northwest’s plan to have an impact on the Washington state economy
One of the reasons why the Cascade project has had so many eyeballs on it is that it is not only expected to provide energy for people, but it is also projected to create job opportunities for people. All in all, the development will have over 1000 jobs in the construction phase and over 100 permanent technical roles once it is fully operational.
The Cascade development in Washington state has been looked at as one that could display the benefits of a public-private partnership and provide a blueprint for many companies to follow. Among the nuclear developments that are coming to the U.S. in 2026, the Washington State one is truly one to keep an eye on, as it is capable of completely transforming how the entire United States generates energy.
