Google, Kairos Power, TVA Collaborate to Meet America's Growing Energy Needs

Rhea-AI Summary

Google, Kairos Power, and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) have announced a groundbreaking collaboration to deploy advanced nuclear energy technology. Kairos Power's Hermes 2 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee will provide up to 50 megawatts (MW) of 24/7 energy to TVA's grid, powering Google data centers in Tennessee and Alabama.

The project marks TVA as the first U.S. utility to sign a power purchase agreement for advanced GEN IV reactor electricity. This initiative is part of Kairos Power's larger agreement with Google to enable 500 MW of new advanced nuclear capacity by 2035. The Hermes 2 reactor, scheduled to begin operations in 2030, will have its output increased from 28 MW to 50 MW to accelerate clean energy delivery to Google's data centers.

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• None.

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• Extended timeline with operations not starting until 2030
• Limited initial capacity of 50 MW compared to traditional nuclear plants

Google and Kairos Power to deploy first advanced nuclear plant in Tennessee Valley under orderbook agreement

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Google, Kairos Power, and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced on August 18 a new collaboration to help meet America's growing energy demand and bolster the country's leadership in advanced nuclear energy. Through a new power purchase agreement (PPA) between Kairos Power and TVA, Kairos Power's Hermes 2 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn., will deliver up to 50 megawatts (MW) of reliable, 24/7 energy to the TVA grid that powers Google data centers in Tennessee and Alabama.

TVA is the first U.S. utility to sign a PPA to buy electricity from an advanced, GEN IV reactor, and Hermes 2 is the first deployment under Kairos Power's landmark deal with Google to enable 500 MW of new, advanced nuclear capacity to come online by 2035 in support of Google's load growth. To accelerate the delivery of clean energy to Google, Kairos Power will increase Hermes 2's output from 28 MW to 50 MW generated by a single reactor, scheduled to begin operations in 2030. 

Through this agreement, Google will receive the clean energy attributes from the plant through the TVA system to further decarbonize its data center operations in Montgomery County, Tennessee, and Jackson County, Alabama, and support future growth in the region. 

This collaboration demonstrates TVA's commitment to integrating innovative, firm energy sources like Kairos Power's advanced nuclear technology to proactively support the development of new, clean generation within its service territory. 

"To power the future, we need to grow the availability of smart, firm energy sources," said Amanda Peterson Corio, Google's Global Head of Data Center Energy. "This collaboration with TVA, Kairos Power, and the Oak Ridge community will accelerate the deployment of innovative nuclear technologies and help support the needs of our growing digital economy while also bringing firm carbon-free energy to the electricity system. Lessons from the development and operation of the Hermes 2 plant will help drive down the cost of future reactors, improving the economics of clean firm power generation in the TVA region and beyond."

"This collaboration is an important enabler to making advanced nuclear energy commercially competitive," said Mike Laufer, Kairos Power CEO and co-founder. "The re-envisioned Hermes 2 gets us closer to the commercial fleet sooner and could only be made possible by close collaboration with TVA and Google, and a supportive local community. We are excited to grow Kairos Power's operations in Oak Ridge while writing a new chapter in the region's distinguished nuclear history."

"Energy security is national security, and electricity is the strategic commodity that is the building block for AI and our nation's economic prosperity," said Don Moul, TVA President and CEO. "The world is looking for American leadership, and this first-of-a-kind agreement is the start of an innovative way of doing business. By developing a technology, a supply chain, and a delivery model that can build an industry to unleash American energy, we can attract and support companies like Google and help America win the AI race." 

Google, Kairos Power, and TVA aim to deliver an innovative solution for industrial energy users to meet their growing business needs responsibly while driving local economic growth and opportunity. This approach protects electricity customers by limiting development costs to first movers while helping to bring costs down for customers as additional units are delivered. 

What People Are Saying

"The deployment of advanced nuclear reactors is essential to U.S. AI dominance and energy leadership," said Energy Secretary Chris Wright. "The Department of Energy has assisted Kairos Power with overcoming technical, operational, and regulatory challenges as a participant in the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, and DOE will continue to help accelerate the next American nuclear renaissance."

"I am pleased to see Google, Kairos Power, and the Tennessee Valley Authority join forces to deliver reliable nuclear energy in Tennessee," said Senator Bill Hagerty. "Advancing nuclear technology is essential to unleashing American energy and driving a nuclear renaissance that secures our competitive edge in the global market. This agreement is a critical step toward this goal. Cutting-edge innovation has a home in Tennessee, and I intend to see that our state remains at the forefront of developing transformative technologies to maintain America's lead in the all-important energy sector."

"Tennessee should be America's leader in nuclear energy to secure our nation's energy independence and protect national security," said Senator Marsha Blackburn. "This partnership will strengthen both Tennessee and America's leadership in innovative nuclear energy, fuel economic growth in Oak Ridge, and help meet the country's growing demand for energy."

"I congratulate Kairos Power, Google, and TVA on their groundbreaking collaboration that will hasten the deployment of next-generation advanced nuclear technologies and cement East Tennessee as the national and global leader for new nuclear innovation," said Energy and Water Appropriations Chairman Chuck Fleischmann. "The United States and the world are in critical need of robust, reliable, affordable energy, and this exciting partnership will ensure East Tennessee and America continue to lead the global nuclear renaissance that will create countless new jobs and power our future."

"Tennessee's legacy of nuclear innovation positions the Volunteer State to lead America's energy dominance and drive continued economic growth with safe, clean, and reliable nuclear energy," said Governor Bill Lee. "I thank Kairos Power for its commitment to expand their presence in East Tennessee, which will further strengthen our nuclear ecosystem and bring greater opportunity to Tennesseans."

About Google

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Google Cloud, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.

About Kairos Power

Kairos Power is a mission-driven nuclear technology, engineering, and manufacturing company singularly focused on commercializing the fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR) – a clean energy solution that can be deployed with robust safety at an affordable cost to enable deep decarbonization. Founded in 2016, the company is unique in applying a rapid iterative development approach and vertical integration strategy to bring advanced reactor technology to market. In 2025, Kairos Power commenced safety-related construction of the Hermes demonstration reactor – the first non-water-cooled reactor to be approved for construction in the U.S. in over 50 years. Kairos Power's mission is to enable the world's transition to clean energy with the ultimate goal of dramatically improving people's quality of life while protecting the environment. Learn more at kairospower.com.

About TVA 

The Tennessee Valley Authority is the nation's largest public power supplier, delivering energy to more than 10 million people across seven southeastern states. TVA has one of the most diverse energy systems – including nuclear, hydro, solar, gas, and advanced technologies. To prepare for the future, TVA is making significant investments in its power system toward new generation and transmission.

TVA is a self-supporting corporate agency of the United States, receiving no annual federal appropriations and deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. TVA maintains some of the lowest energy costs and highest reliability in the nation. TVA's residential rates are lower than those paid by over 80% of customers of the top 100 U.S. utilities and industrial rates are lower than those paid by over 90% of customers of the top 100 U.S. utilities.  In addition, TVA provides flood control, navigation, and land management for the Tennessee River system, and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation. Learn more at TVA.com.  

Media Contacts:
Kairos Power: Christopher Ortiz; media@kairospower.com 510-808-5265
TVA: Scott Fiedler; safiedler@tva.com 901-414-6964
Google: press@google.com 

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SOURCE Tennessee Valley Authority

FAQ

What is the capacity of Kairos Power's Hermes 2 nuclear plant in Tennessee?

The Hermes 2 plant will deliver up to 50 megawatts (MW) of reliable, 24/7 energy to the TVA grid, increased from its original 28 MW design.

When will the Kairos Power Hermes 2 nuclear plant begin operations?

The Hermes 2 advanced nuclear reactor is scheduled to begin operations in 2030.

How much nuclear capacity is planned in Kairos Power's agreement with Google?

Kairos Power has a landmark deal with Google to enable 500 MW of new, advanced nuclear capacity to come online by 2035.

Which data centers will the Hermes 2 nuclear plant power?

The plant will power Google's data centers in Montgomery County, Tennessee, and Jackson County, Alabama through the TVA system.

Why is the TVA-Kairos Power agreement significant?

TVA is the first U.S. utility to sign a power purchase agreement to buy electricity from an advanced, GEN IV reactor, marking a milestone in advanced nuclear energy deployment.