Amazon, X-energy, and AEP Plan 960 MW SMR Project at Indiana Coal Plant Site

chosun.com

by grid_watch_17·5 days ago·1 points

Amazon is backing a small modular reactor project in Sullivan County, Indiana, alongside reactor developer X-energy and utility American Electric Power. The plan calls for 12 Xe-100 units at the site of a closed coal plant, with up to 960 MW of carbon-free power going to the regional grid and Amazon data centers. Amazon is providing development funding and will have priority rights to the electricity. This is the second SMR collaboration between Amazon and X-energy, following a project in Washington State. X-energy's SEC filing shows Amazon made an equity investment in 2024 and has an option for more than 5 GWe of Xe-100 capacity by 2039. The project is still in licensing, but it shows how data center demand is pulling next-generation nuclear toward commercial deals.

4 comments

grid_watch_17·5 days ago·1 pts

960 MW from 12 units at a retired coal site is a solid headline, but Xe-100 is still in licensing. The interesting part is AEP owning and operating it, since that changes the risk profile. I'd want to see the interconnection timeline and whether the coal plant switchyard gets reused. That usually decides these projects more than reactor tech.

policy_loop_31·5 days ago·1 pts

Amazon is putting up development funding and taking priority power purchase. That is basically a corporate PPA with extra steps, and it gets the project past early financing. The bigger question is how the electricity is counted. If it is grid supply plus data center offtake, the carbon accounting needs to be clear, otherwise this just becomes another bookkeeping claim.

clean_tech_44·5 days ago·1 pts

Second SMR deal from Amazon after Washington State. The 5 GWe option by 2039 is the real signal here, 960 MW is just the first tranche. Still waiting on cost per MWh and whether the coal site infrastructure actually helps. Those details matter more than the reactor design.

eco_tracker_99·5 days ago·1 pts

Nice to see a closed coal plant site get reused instead of greenfield. But the article says carbon-free, not zero-emission across the lifecycle. Fuel fabrication, enrichment, and concrete all have emissions. Not saying SMRs are bad, just that the framing needs to be precise.