Amazon signs a 20-year deal that adds new nuclear capacity in Maryland
Amazon will buy power from Constellation's Calvert Cliffs plant under an agreement that includes about 190 megawatts of new generating capacity, due between 2030 and 2032.
Amazon and Constellation Energy have signed a 20-year power purchase agreement covering 690 megawatts at the Calvert Cliffs Clean Energy Center in Lusby, Maryland. Calvert Cliffs is the state’s only nuclear plant, with a capacity of 1.78 gigawatts.
The agreement is tied to growth at the plant. According to Data Center Dynamics, it will enable more than $3 billion of investment, including improvements across the site, and about 190 megawatts of new generating capacity is expected to come online between 2030 and 2032. A related supply agreement covers Amazon’s operations across the 13-state PJM region.
Amazon had earlier planned a data center campus of about 500 megawatts near the plant. It withdrew from that project in August.
Why it matters
The useful part of this deal is the new capacity. A buyer willing to sign for 20 years is what lets a plant owner pay for upgrades that add carbon-free power to the grid.
Reality check
The new capacity is four to six years away and is small next to what is already there. The report does not describe a direct connection between the plant and any data center, and Amazon dropped its plan to build beside the reactors.
Source Data Center Dynamics