Amazon has entered into an agreement with X-energy and American Electric Power to develop a nuclear energy facility in Indiana. The proposed plant would be constructed at the site of the former Breed Generating Station in Sullivan County and is designed to generate up to 960 megawatts of carbon-free electricity. The facility would supply power to both Amazon’s data centers and the regional electrical grid.
The Indiana project plans to incorporate 12 Xe-100 small modular reactors, an advanced reactor design currently in development and licensing phases. According to Amazon, these reactors can utilize air, water, or a combination of both for cooling, potentially allowing deployment in areas facing water scarcity without straining local water resources. The company estimates the project could generate approximately 1,000 construction jobs and 100 permanent positions, though no construction or operational timeline has been disclosed.
This Indiana facility represents the second collaboration between Amazon and X-energy aimed at expanding nuclear capacity across the United States. The two companies are working with regional utilities to deploy more than 5 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity by 2039. Their first planned project, the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility in Washington, was previewed in October last year and similarly plans to feature 12 advanced reactors. Construction for that facility is not anticipated to begin until the end of this decade.
The project joins a broader trend among major technology companies pursuing nuclear energy solutions to power data center operations. Meta, Microsoft, and Google are similarly exploring nuclear energy initiatives. Amazon’s involvement in nuclear infrastructure development was highlighted earlier this month in a blog post addressing concerns regarding data center expansion, though the company acknowledges that substantial benefits from these facilities remain years away.
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