Google presented on Monday a plan to reactivate a nuclear plant in Iowa, in the United States, with the aim of feeding the infrastructure of artificial intelligence (AI) of the company.
According to a joint announcement with the electric company NextEra Energy, the Duane Arnold Energy Center plant – closed in 2020 – would be operational again in 2029 “to help power Google’s growing cloud and AI infrastructure in Iowa,” both companies said.
Google signed a 25-year agreement to purchase power from the facility once the plant is restarted.
The facility will be 100% owned by NextEra, which reached an agreement with the minority owners to acquire an interest in the plant.
The agreement between Google and NextEra underscores the latest collaboration between technology giants and companies in the electrical industry.
AI has become a major source of energy demand. In April, the International Energy Agency projected that electricity consumption by data centers will double by 2030.