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Amazon Funds 960MW Nuclear Plant in Indiana
· Confirmed
In Short: Amazon is funding the development of a 960-megawatt nuclear plant in Sullivan County, Indiana, in partnership with American Electric Power and X-energy.
Amazon is funding the development of a 960-megawatt nuclear plant in Sullivan County, Indiana, in partnership with American Electric Power (AEP) and X-energy. The project aims to bring advanced nuclear energy to the region, with Amazon set to be the first customer to buy the power produced.
Josh Weissman, VP of Data Center Infrastructure Capacity Delivery at Amazon, stated, “At Amazon, we are committed to serving the needs of our customers and achieving our Climate Pledge goal to be net-zero carbon across our operations by 2040.”
Bill Fehrman, AEP chairman, president, and CEO, said, “Advanced nuclear energy has the potential to provide dependable power for over half a century while supporting economic growth in our communities. With this development plan, we are working to bring together the resources to help meet unprecedented growth in energy demand with reliable baseload power while protecting affordability for existing customers.”
The project will utilize X-energy’s Xe-100 small modular reactor technology, which is designed to provide safe, reliable energy in a compact footprint. The agreements with Amazon and X-energy will provide all necessary capital protections and financial safeguards that AEP has said are essential for any potential nuclear project to move forward.
According to Amazon’s announcement, the financing round closed at $700 million, supporting the completion of X-energy’s reactor design and licensing activities and the first phase of its TRISO-X nuclear fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
The proposed project builds on an investment relationship between Amazon and X-energy that began in 2024, when Amazon led the reactor developer’s Series C-1 financing round through its $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund.
The project is expected to create more than 1,000 construction jobs and over 100 permanent positions once operational, according to Amazon. Indiana Governor Mike Braun said, “Indiana is building an energy future that prioritizes affordability for Hoosier families and businesses while driving economic growth. This project has the potential to create well-paying jobs in Sullivan County, strengthen our electric grid and further position Indiana as a national leader in advanced nuclear energy.”
The site, called Seadrift, has recently been at the center of a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas, which accuses the plant of “habitual non-compliance” with water and solid-waste regulations and permits. However, Amazon says its reactors can be cooled using either air, water, or a hybrid solution of both, allowing them to be deployed in water-constrained regions without impacting local water demand.
The small modular reactor segment is drawing other players, such as Rosatom, which has signed a 200 MW floating nuclear power deal for Indonesia.
The proposed Indiana project is part of a broader initiative to bring more than 5GW of new nuclear generating capacity to the US electricity grid by 2039.
Amazon’s nuclear play represents a fundamentally different approach than the renewable energy contracts that have dominated Big Tech's sustainability playbook for the past decade. The company has been dropping NDAs in data center deals after public backlash, suggesting it is trying to be more transparent about its infrastructure expansion.
The project’s aggressive timeline still depends on X-energy successfully delivering its first power plant at a Dow Chemical plant southeast of Houston, Texas.
What this adds
The lawsuit against Amazon over advertising practices is unrelated to the nuclear plant project. The project's timeline and success depend on X-energy's ability to deliver its first power plant at a Dow Chemical plant southeast of Houston, Texas.
Background
Amazon is funding the development of a 960-megawatt nuclear plant in Sullivan County, Indiana, in partnership with American Electric Power and X-energy.
What's confirmed
- “At Amazon, we are committed to serving the needs of our customers and achieving our Climate Pledge goal to be net-zero carbon across our operations by 2040,” said Josh Weissman, VP of Data Center Infrastructure Capacity Delivery at Amazon.
- “Our agreements with Amazon and X-energy will provide all necessary capital protections and financial safeguards that we have said are essential for any potential nuclear project to move forward.” X-energy’s Xe-100 is an advanced nuclear technology designed to provide safe, reliable energy in a compact footprint.
- AEP today announced a joint development agreement with X-energy (Nasdaq: XE) to evaluate the feasibility of constructing a 960-megawatt (MW) advanced nuclear energy project at a former coal plant site in Sullivan County, Indiana.
- “Advanced nuclear energy has the potential to provide dependable power for over half a century while supporting economic growth in our communities. With this development plan, we are working to bring together the resources to help meet unprecedented growth in energy demand with reliable baseload power while protecting affordability for existing customers,” said Bill Fehrman, AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer.
- Amazon, American Electric Power (AEP) and X-energy have announced plans to develop a 960MW nuclear energy project in Sullivan County, Indiana.
- Their partnership is aimed at bringing more than 5GW of new nuclear generating capacity to the US electricity grid by 2039.
- The development is also expected to create more than 1,000 construction jobs and over 100 permanent positions once operational, according to Amazon.
- According to Amazon’s Oct. 19 announcement, the financing round ultimately closed at $700 million, supporting completion of X-energy’s reactor design and licensing activities and the first phase of its TRISO-X nuclear fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
- The proposed Indiana project builds on an investment relationship between Amazon and X-energy that began in 2024, when Amazon led the reactor developer’s Series C-1 financing round through its $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund.
- Amazon Bets Big on Nuclear Power for Data Centers in Indiana Tech giant funds 960MW nuclear facility to power AI infrastructure and regional grid PUBLISHED: Mon, Oct 19, 2026, 4:07 PM UTC | UPDATED: Mon, Oct 19, 2026, 4:07 PM UTC Photo: Overgrown industrial brownfield site with concrete foundations and power lines under overcast sky.
- Amazon's nuclear play represents a fundamentally different approach than the renewable energy contracts that have dominated Big Tech's sustainability playbook for the past decade.
- The move comes as Amazon has been dropping NDAs in data center deals after public backlash, suggesting the company is trying to be more transparent about its infrastructure expansion.
What's still developing
- Last day to save up to $200 to TechCrunch Founder Summit on Oct.
- "Even accepting the FTC's flawed premise that advertisers do not adjust bids, we estimate they saved over $8 billion from 2021 to 2025 as a result of Amazon prioritizing ad relevancy over selecting ads on bid price alone."