Tennessee Valley Authority has scored a PPA with Google-backed fourth-generation nuclear reactor developer Kairos, marking the first of its kind in the US. (Latitude Media)
TVA will take power from Kairos’ Hermes 2, a fluoride salt-cooled test reactor that’s being re-engineered to put out 50 MW instead of 28 MW. The move represents a shift away from smaller third-generation reactors (like those from NuScale or Westinghouse).
Last year, Google agreed to buy up to 500 MW from Kairos over the next decade. Under this deal, the tech giant will purchase its first MWs through the TVA grid.