Constellation and Google sign 20-year deal for 890 MW of nuclear uprates at 11 PJM units
Victoria Shinder1 min readConstellation Energy announced a 20-year power purchase agreement with Google on 6 October that supports 890 MW of new nuclear generation through uprates at 11 existing units in the PJM Interconnection, Utility Dive reported. The units are at six sites in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey; the first uprate is expected online in 2028.
The money and the extra supply. Constellation says the uprates are backed by $4.3 billion of new investment. The two companies also signed a 15-year supply agreement for a further 2,700 MW across PJM.
Grid terms. The deal includes operational load-shaping and demand-response capabilities to cut consumption during grid stress, the companies said. Constellation called it a "direct response" to PJM's Bring Your Own Power proposal and aligned with the White House's ratepayer protection pledge. CEO Joe Dominguez said it could be a model for technology companies and the energy industry to work together "in a way that delivers grid-wide benefits for all, funded by private entities."
The week's second deal. It follows a 690 MW agreement Constellation signed with Amazon the week before, centred on a $3 billion, 190 MW expansion of the Calvert Cliffs plant in Maryland, expected online between 2030 and 2032. Together, the two deals support almost 1.1 GW of nuclear expansion.
The backdrop. PJM is short about 6.8 GW of new capacity as data centre demand grows, and will delay a planned reliability backstop procurement after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission only partly approved it on 29 September.