On Oct. 14 Google signed a contract with Kairos Power to build seven nuclear Small Modular Reactors (SMR), according to the Wall Street Journal. The first reactor should be in operation by 2030 and the rest by 2035, but it has not been disclosed whether the power plants will be all at the same facility, or in various locations. This is considered the world’s first such deal to build a fleet of power plants, and the goal is to provide a total of 500 MW of power for Google. The deal still needs regulatory approval, but Kairos already was granted the permits for its demonstration plant in Tennessee, which should be operational in 2027. The contract shows confidence in a power system that is built in a factory for assembly elsewhere.
By ordering several SMRs, there is an economy of scale which lowers the cost as compared to buying only a single plant. The Kairos design uses molten fluoride salt as a coolant instead of water as in traditional nuclear plants. At a development facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Kairos is testing the assembly and operations of the new plants, the reliability of components, and even the needed supply chain to keep the plants running.
