Google signs 20-year nuclear power deal with Constellation Energy

Overview

Updated Oct 22

Google and Constellation Energy signed a 20-year power purchase agreement on October 6 covering 3,590 megawatts on the PJM grid, the largest US power market. Of that, 890 megawatts is new capacity from efficiency upgrades at 11 reactors in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Constellation has since put numbers on two of the projects: a 348-megawatt increase at its 2,317-megawatt Limerick plant near Philadelphia and 97 megawatts at the 2,327-megawatt Salem plant in southern New Jersey. A company spokesperson told Canary Media the first upgrade should be running by 2028, with the full batch finished in the early 2030s. Who pays is still unsettled. The Ratepayer Protection Act, which would have made large power users cover grid upgrade costs, failed a Senate procedural vote 57-43 on September 30.

Why it matters

If the uprates hold schedule, AI data centers get new carbon-free power by 2028 without new reactors or a bigger bill for everyone else.

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Key Indicators

890 MW

New nuclear capacity from uprates

Incremental capacity from efficiency upgrades at 11 existing reactors.

$4.3B

Constellation investment

New investment in equipment and technology at 11 nuclear units.

Reactors to be upgraded

Constellation-owned units across six plants in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

3,590 MW

Total power contracted

890 MW new nuclear capacity plus 2,700 MW supply agreement on the PJM grid.

7,200

New construction jobs

Jobs created during the building period across six nuclear sites.

1.5 GW+

Google-enabled nuclear capacity

New US nuclear capacity Google says it has helped enable through uprates and reactor restarts.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Sundar Pichai

Chief Executive Officer, Alphabet and Google

Overseeing Google's nuclear power investments

Joseph Dominguez

Chief Executive Officer, Constellation Energy

Leading the nuclear uprate program

Organizations Involved

Google

Technology company

Buyer and anchor customer

Google is the anchor customer for the nuclear uprate program, providing revenue certainty through a 20-year power purchase agreement.

Constellation Energy

Nuclear power generator

Seller and operator of the uprate program

Constellation operates the largest US nuclear fleet and will invest $4.3 billion in upgrades at 11 reactors across six plants.

PJM Interconnection LLC

Regional transmission organization

Operating the 13-state grid while weighing its Bring Your Own Power proposal

PJM operates the largest US power grid, spanning 13 states and serving 67 million people.

Timeline

2025 October 2026

8 events Latest: October 6th, 2026 · 1 month ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

October 2026
Google and Constellation announce 3.6 GW power deal
Latest Agreement

Google signs 20-year PPA for 890 MW of new nuclear capacity from uprates at 11 reactors, plus a 15-year supply agreement for 2,700 MW on the PJM grid.
October 6th, 2026
Coverage splits on Constellation's stock reaction
Market

The Wall Street Journal reported a decline in Constellation shares the day the deal was announced, while an Investing.com headline said shares gained. Contract terms were not disclosed.
October 6th, 2026
Bloomberg reports deal nearing
Report

Bloomberg News reports Google is nearing a multi-year nuclear power deal with Constellation worth $1 billion or more.
October 5th, 2026
Constellation names Limerick and Salem uprate sizes
Project detail

A Constellation spokesperson told Canary Media the Limerick plant near Philadelphia gets a 348 MW boost and the Salem plant in New Jersey 97 MW. The first uprate is due by 2028, the full batch in the early 2030s.
October 2026
Report puts Constellation lobbying at $2.42 million
Disclosure

The Inference reported Constellation spent $2.42 million lobbying Washington in the same month it signed the Google agreement, and noted the cost-allocation rules for large power users remain unwritten.
October 2026
September 2026
Ratepayer Protection Act fails Senate procedural vote
Policy

The bill, which would have required large power users to pay the full incremental cost of grid upgrades, passed the House 417-3 but failed a Senate procedural vote 57-43.
September 30th, 2026
Google signs Southern Co nuclear deal
Agreement

Google signs a deal with Southern Co to support upgrades at two nuclear plants.
September 2026
2025
Google partners with NextEra on Iowa restart
Agreement

Google partners with NextEra Energy to restart an Iowa nuclear power plant.
2025

Scenarios

First uprate delivers power by 2028

Likely Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Constellation and Google in the deal announcement

The first uprate is expected to deliver power by 2028. Constellation must complete turbine, steam generator, and control system upgrades at one or more units, pass regulatory review, and connect to the PJM grid.

All 890 MW online by 2032

Possible Resolves by End of 2032

Discussed by: Constellation and Google in the deal announcement

All 11 units' uprates complete, delivering the full 890 MW of incremental capacity. This requires regulatory approvals, supply chain, and construction to stay on schedule across six sites.

PJM adopts Bring Your Own Power rules

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: PJM management proposal; the deal is a direct response

PJM's proposal would require data center customers to bring their own power or face remote shutoff during peak demand. If adopted and approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, it would reshape how large customers connect to the grid.

States or PJM reopen who pays for the uprates

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: The Inference, following the Senate failure of the Ratepayer Protection Act

The Google contract does not disclose a price, so it is not public whether the uprate costs sit in the contract or spread to other PJM customers. With the federal cost-allocation bill dead, state utility commissions and PJM's own rulemaking become the venues where that question gets decided.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

September 2024

Microsoft-Constellation Three Mile Island restart (2024)

Microsoft signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Constellation to restart Three Mile Island Unit 1 in Pennsylvania, renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center. The restart is expected online in 2028.

Then

The deal established the hyperscaler-as-anchor-customer model for nuclear power.

Now

It showed tech companies would pay a premium for firm, carbon-free power, opening the door for similar deals.

Why this matters now

This Google deal extends the same model from restarting a shuttered plant to uprating operating reactors.

March 2024

Amazon-Talen nuclear data center deal (2024)

Amazon bought a nuclear-powered data center campus from Talen Energy at the Susquehanna plant in Pennsylvania, securing dedicated nuclear power for its cloud business.

Then

Amazon secured dedicated nuclear power for its cloud business.

Now

It showed data centers co-locating with nuclear plants, a model PJM's Bring Your Own Power proposal addresses.

Why this matters now

Both deals show hyperscalers seeking direct access to nuclear power, which PJM now wants to regulate.