Two Philly-area nuclear plants are increasing power generation as part of a deal with Google
It's part of a deal between Google and Constellation Energy that aims to offset the increasing energy demands of AI data centers.
Two Philly-area nuclear plants will be able to produce more power in the coming years as part of a deal between Google and Constellation Energy that aims to offset the increasing energy demands of AI.
The project will cost at least $4.3 billon, which Constellation will be able to invest because of Google’s commitment to buying power from the company.
Constellation’s Limerick Clean Energy Center in Montgomery County is set to gain 348 megawatts of capacity, according to the company. With its two nuclear reactors, the Limerick plant in Pottstown currently can produce up to 2,317 megawatts of energy, enough to power the equivalent of more than 1.7 million homes, according to Baltimore-based Constellation.
In South Jersey, the Salem Generating Station is also getting a boost. It is set to gain 97 megawatts, according to Constellation, which owns 43% of the plant. The company’s share currently can produce 995 megawatts, enough to power the equivalent of more than 700,000 homes.
PSE&G owns the other 57% of the Salem facility, which has two reactors and another unit that runs during periods of high demand.
These capacity increases — referred to as uprates in the industry — will take effect between 2028 and 2032, according to Constellation.
They are part of Constellation’s and Google’s larger plan to bring 890 megawatts of new capacity onto the PJM grid. PJM coordinates the flow of electricity to 67 million people in 13 states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and the District of Columbia. In recent years, the Montgomery County-based grid operator has said it has failed to find enough power generation to meet anticipated demand.
“Preserving and expanding the output of the existing nuclear fleet and developing new clean generation is critical to meeting our nation’s growing energy needs while keeping costs affordable for homes and businesses,” Joe Dominguez, chairman, president and CEO of Constellation, said in a statement.
The 20-year power-purchase agreement between Constellation and Google will help fund equipment and technology upgrades at six nuclear sites in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Illinois, “increasing thermal and electrical efficiency to unlock additional reliable, firm power to serve the grid,” Constellation said Tuesday in a statement. The company said it plans to upgrade turbines, steam generators, and digital control systems as part of a $4.3 billion investment.
A Google spokesperson declined to say how much they spent on the agreement.
Across all locations, the deal will sustain about 4,400 existing jobs, Constellation said, and create about 7,200 construction jobs.
“The planned upgrades for Limerick are good news for Pennsylvania’s workers and communities,” said Robert Bair, president of the Pennsylvania State Building and Construction Trades Council, who estimated the move will create at least 2,500 local construction jobs.
Separate from the nuclear generation expansion, Google also entered into a 15-year energy supply agreement with Constellation for an additional 2,700 megawatts from the existing fleet, according to the companies.
“We’re committed to meeting our growth responsibly by actively investing in clean, reliable power that brings new capacity to our nation’s grids,” Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s global head of energy and power, said in a statement.
The agreement will support Google’s data centers in the PJM region, which include its facilities in the data center hot spots of Ohio and Virginia, a Google spokesperson said. The company’s closest data center to Philadelphia is in Loudoun County, Va., which has become known as Data Center Alley.
The companies’ announcement did not mention data centers, but it did say the upgrades aligned with the White House Ratepayer Protection Pledge, which aims to protect consumers from footing the bill for AI data centers. Google has said it is committed to paying for all the power used by its data centers, which handle the cloud-storage and computing needs of increasingly sophisticated AI tools.
» READ MORE: What’s it like living in the shadow of an AI data center? These Vineland residents know.
Constellation will test some of those tools as part of a five-year technology agreement, in which it will use Google Cloud and Gemini Enterprise, its AI platform, to increase efficiency and keep costs down for consumers. A Google spokesperson said its tool would assist Constellation with site selection and permitting, as well as protecting its operational networks.
The Google deal comes about a week after Constellation entered a similar agreement with Amazon, which is set to include $3 billion in investment from Constellation and a 190-megawatt increase in generating capacity at Maryland’s Calvert Cliffs Clean Energy Center by 2032.
