Amazon has revealed plans to help build a small modular reactor (SMR) facility in Washington state, named the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility, which aims to supply clean, carbon-free power for its data centres, artificial intelligence services, and the broader electricity grid.
The planned plant, to be developed in partnership with Energy Northwest and X-energy, will use X-energy’s Xe-100 modular reactor design. Initially, the facility will launch with a 320 MW capacity, but it is designed to scale to 960 MW across three modules.
Amazon, which has already invested in X-energy via its Climate Pledge Fund, says this nuclear project is part of its broader effort to decarbonise operations and provide reliable, carbon-free power for its technology infrastructure.
The company expects construction to begin by the end of the decade, with commercial operations targeted for the 2030s.
In addition to supporting Amazon’s energy needs, the project is expected to generate significant local economic benefits: over 1,000 construction jobs and more than 100 permanent skilled roles once the facility is operational.
To support workforce development, the Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Washington, is setting up an Energy Learning Center. The centre will include a simulator mirroring X-energy’s Xe-100 reactor control room to train future operators.
Amazon says the SMR project, along with other clean energy investments, complements its position as the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy and advances its goal of powering its operations with carbon-free energy.
