Amazon on Wednesday said that it was investing in small nuclear reactors, coming just two days after a similar announcement by Google, as both tech giants seek new sources of carbon-free electricity to meet surging demand from data centres and artificial intelligence.
The plans come as the owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant said last month it plans to restart the reactor so tech giant Microsoft can buy the power to supply its data centres. All three companies have been investing in solar and wind technologies, which make electricity without producing greenhouse gas emissions. Now they say they need to go further in the search for clean electricity to meet both demand and their own commitments to cut emissions.
Nuclear energy is a climate solution in that its reactors don鈥檛 emit the planet-warming greenhouse gases that come from power plants that burn fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and gas. The demand for power is surging globally as buildings and vehicles electrify. People used more electricity than ever last year, placing strain on electric grids around the world. Much of the demand also comes from data centres and artificial intelligence.
The International Energy Agency forecasts that data centres鈥 total electricity consumption could reach more than 1,000 terawatt hours in 2026, more than doubling from 2022. Estimates suggest one terawatt hour can power 70,000 homes for a year.
鈥淎I is driving a significant increase in the amount of data centres and power that are required on the grid,鈥 Kevin Miller, Amazon Web Services鈥 vice president of global data centres, told The Associated Press, adding: 鈥淲e view advanced new nuclear capacity as really key and essential."
The United States is pursuing small modular reactors, a type of nuclear reactor that can generate up to roughly one-third the amount of power of a traditional reactor. Developers say small reactors will be built faster and at a lower cost than large power reactors, scaling to fit needs of a particular location. They aim to start spinning up electricity in the early 2030s, if the Nuclear Regulatory Commission gives permission to build and operate their designs and the technology succeeds.
If new, clean power isn鈥檛 added as data centres are developed, the U.S. runs the risk of 鈥渂rowning the grid,鈥 or including more power that isn't made from clean sources, said Kathryn Huff, a former U.S. assistant secretary for nuclear energy who is now an associate professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The reactors are currently under development, with none currently providing power to the electric grid in the U.S. Big investors can help change that, and these announcements could be the 鈥渋nflection point鈥 that makes scaling up this technology truly possible, Huff said.
Jacopo Buongiorno, professor of nuclear science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, echoed that, saying the industry needs customers who value the reliability and carbon-free attributes of nuclear and are willing to pay a premium for it at first, until a number of the next-generation reactors are deployed and the cost comes down.
On Monday, Google said it was signing a contract to purchase nuclear energy from multiple small modular reactors that Kairos Power, a nuclear technology company, plans to develop.
The news highlights 鈥渢he technologies that we鈥檙e going to need to achieve round the clock clean energy, not only for Google but for the world,鈥 Michael Terrell, Google's senior director of energy and climate, told the AP.
With Kairos, Google said it expects to bring the first small modular reactor online by 2030, with more to come through 2035. The deal is projected to bring 500 megawatts of power to the grid. For context, Google consumed more than 24 terawatt hours of electricity last year, according to the company's annual environmental report. One terawatt is equal to 1,000,000 megawatts.
Meanwhile, Amazon's announcements Wednesday included working with utility Dominion Energy to explore putting a small modular reactor near its existing North Anna nuclear power station in Virginia. It's investing in reactor developer X-energy for its early development work, and collaborating with regional utility Energy Northwest in central Washington to put four of the X-energy reactors there.
Combined, the three announcements could account for more than 5,000 megawatts of power by the late 2030s with the possibility of more. All of that is still likely only a small fraction of the company鈥檚 total energy consumption, a figure that Amazon does not report publicly.
New reactor designs pair well with industrial applications because they can be built on a small footprint and generate reliable power, with some able to provide high-temperature heat too, at the site, said Doug True, chief nuclear officer at the industry trade association, Nuclear Energy Institute.
鈥淚t seems like a really good fit to support those facilities, and for a lot of different applications depending upon the amount of power that鈥檚 needed by the customer,鈥 he said.
Both Amazon and Google have committed to using renewable energy to address climate change. By 2030, Google has pledged to meet net-zero emissions, and run carbon-free energy every hour of every day on every grid where it operates. It says it has already matched 100 per cent of its global electricity consumption with renewable energy purchases on an annual basis. However, the company has fallen short on decreasing its emissions.
Amazon has said it would match all of its global electricity consumption with 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030, and recently announced it met that goal early in 2023. Though the company has matched its consumption as far as purchases of an equivalent amount of renewable energy, that does not necessarily mean it is using that to power its operations.
Amazon saw its electricity emissions drop 11 per cent, but direct emissions 鈥 known as Scope 1 鈥 increased 7 per cent, according to its 2023 sustainability report. The company is also targeting net zero-carbon by 2040.
One of four Canadian cabinet members who are stepping down said on Friday that he has confidence in Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and he played down polls predicting the Liberals will badly lose in the next election.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Friday compared the people jailed on charges that they stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to the more than 120,000 people of Japanese origin incarcerated on U.S. soil during World War II.
SaskPower was sentenced Friday morning in a Weyburn courtroom, receiving a record fine, after being found guilty of three workplace-safety related violations when two experienced employees were killed on the job in 2020.
An increased risk of fire has prompted the recall of thousands of Honda hybrid vehicles in Canada.
The Canadian Cancer Society says a proposed settlement that may see tobacco companies pay out billions of dollars would do little to prevent future generations from becoming addicted to smoking.
Police were called to a frozen yogurt shop in Richmond, B.C., Wednesday after a man went behind the counter and scooped some of the product with his hand.
According to Google search data, the top Halloween costumes trending in Canada include everything from Taylor Swift for kids to the Joker and Harley Quinn for couples.
Cuba's national electrical grid shut down on Friday after one of the island's major power plants failed, Cuba's energy ministry said, plunging the entire country into a blackout.
National Defence Minister Bill Blair says Canada is sending $64.8 million in military aid to Ukraine.
SaskPower was sentenced Friday morning in a Weyburn courtroom, receiving a record fine, after being found guilty of three workplace-safety related violations when two experienced employees were killed on the job in 2020.
A 29-year-old Saskatoon woman faces assault and mischief charges after allegedly throwing a cup of bodily fluids on two bus passengers and breaking a window on Thursday.
The Canadian Cancer Society says a proposed settlement that may see tobacco companies pay out billions of dollars would do little to prevent future generations from becoming addicted to smoking.
With a crowded field of 16 candidates vying to be Halifax's next mayor, candidates have not always found it easy to stand out. But one thing sets Andrew Goodsell apart and makes him uniquely positioned to comment on a central campaign issue: he is living rough in a tent in the city's south end.
Police were called to a frozen yogurt shop in Richmond, B.C., Wednesday after a man went behind the counter and scooped some of the product with his hand.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.
Cuba's national electrical grid shut down on Friday after one of the island's major power plants failed, Cuba's energy ministry said, plunging the entire country into a blackout.
A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution printed 237 years ago and sent to the states to be ratified was sold for US$9 million at an auction Thursday evening in North Carolina.
South Korea's spy agency said Friday that North Korea has dispatched troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine, a development that could bring a third country into the war and intensify a standoff between North Korea and the West.
Russia's lower house of parliament on Thursday gave quick initial approval to a bill outlawing 'propaganda' that discourages people from having children, the latest in a slew of restrictive laws as the Kremlin tightens control over the society amid the fighting in Ukraine.
U.S. President Joe Biden said it's important for Ukraine's western allies to 'sustain our resolve' in supporting the country as he met Friday with European partners, with the upcoming U.S. presidential election casting a long shadow over his visit to Germany.
Christian nationalist leaders are telling followers that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is under the influence of a 'Jezebel spirit,' using a term with deeply racist and misogynistic roots that is setting off alarm bells for religious and political scholars.
One of four Canadian cabinet members who are stepping down said on Friday that he has confidence in Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and he played down polls predicting the Liberals will badly lose in the next election.
The head of the RCMP and Canada's ministers of foreign affairs and public safety will be summoned to testify at a House of Commons committee about the bombshell allegations made this week about Indian state-sponsored interference in Canada.
The federal and Manitoba governments have signed a deal to expand food programs.
More details are expected today on a proposed deal that would see the three major companies pay out billions of dollars to provinces and territories as well as smokers and their loved ones.
The Canadian Cancer Society says a proposed settlement that may see tobacco companies pay out billions of dollars would do little to prevent future generations from becoming addicted to smoking.
Already multitool smart devices, Apple Watches added another buzzworthy feature last month: an app to detect sleep apnea.
One of the most widely spoken Indigenous languages in this country is now available through Google's translation service, the first time the tech giant has included a First Nations, Metis or Inuit language spoken in Canada on its platform.
Meta has launched a new campaign to protect teens and children from social media sextortion scams. It鈥檚 designed to help teenagers and their parents easily spot online scammers, who trick young people into sending intimate photos and use financial blackmail, threatening exposure.
Just weeks before the U.S. presidential election, TikTok approved advertisements that contained election disinformation even though it has a ban on political ads, according to a report published Thursday by the nonprofit Global Witness.
How One Direction became the internet's first boy band.
Mitzi Gaynor, the effervescent dancer and actor who starred as Nellie Forbush in the 1958 film of 'South Pacific' and appeared in other musicals with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, has died. She was 93.
Every Christmas growing up in Minnesota, Jimmy Darts' parents gave him US$200 in cash: US$100 for himself and US$100 for a stranger. Now, with over 12 million followers on TikTok and several million more on other platforms, philanthropy is his full-time job.
Credit card fees for small and medium-sized businesses are starting to dip lower as a deal reached between the federal government and the two major card companies is set to take effect.
Federal limits on the number of international students permitted to study in Canada could cost Ontario schools close to $1 billion in lost revenue, the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) says.
A Massachusetts judge rejected Meta Platforms' bid to dismiss a lawsuit by the state alleging the social media company purposely deployed features on its Instagram platform to addict young users and deceived the public about the dangers its product posed to the mental health of teenagers.
The origin of modern humans' long-standing love affair with carbs may predate our existence as a species, according to a new study.
A British travel documentarian's YouTube video announcing his move to Winnipeg, Man. has gone viral, with Manitobans praising the transplant's kind words about his new Prairie home.
A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the European Open tennis tournament with a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) loss to Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut on Friday.
A representative for Kylian Mbappe has denounced reporting in the Swedish press about the French soccer star as 'totally false and irresponsible.'
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) has released a statement in response to a recent CTV W5 investigation into an alleged sexual assault in 2014.
An increased risk of fire has prompted the recall of thousands of Honda hybrid vehicles in Canada.
The U.S. government's road safety agency is again investigating Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' system, this time after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian.
Canada鈥檚 border guards have seized more than 1,900 stolen cars so far this year at railyards and ports, which is over a hundred more than in 2023.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.
A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.
A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥
John Cantin vividly remembers opening day for his Victoria diner. Stress levels were high, tables were full, and one of the most popular menu items couldn鈥檛 be freed from the unyielding grip of the waffle maker.
A Manitoba professor is warning the public after a book on regional mushrooms that he suspects is AI-generated was delisted from Amazon.
A B.C. judge has issued a decision in a years-long dispute between neighbours that began with a noise complaint over barking dogs, crowing roosters and quacking ducks 鈥 awarding $15,000 in damages to the plaintiffs in the case.
An Ottawa man was arrested after taking a shower in a stranger's house, Ottawa police say.
S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh 脷xwumixw (Squamish Nation) Chef Paul Natrall, the man behind Indigenous food truck Mr. Bannock, is bringing cooking classes on First Nations fare to schools and offices throughout Metro Vancouver.
The Celtic Colours Festival is taking place at venues around Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia from Oct. 11 to 19.
A British Columbia family is pleading for information about the disappearance of their son, who was 22 years old when he vanished from Kelowna 18 years ago.
Police in Surrey are asking the public for help identifying a suspect with "distinct tattoos" on his right arm.
Another unmoored vessel has capsized beside the Vancouver seawall 鈥 this time a tiki-themed party boat that launched just last year.
A 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy are facing multiple charges after allegedly firing gunshots at a Jewish girls school last weekend.
Police say five suspects from Hamilton are facing charges in connection with the sexual assault of a female youth in Vaughan earlier this month.
A high-ranking Toronto police officer who admitted to helping several members of the service cheat on promotional exams is appealing her demotion, arguing that she was 鈥渧illainized鈥 for conduct which was 鈥渞ampant鈥 throughout the organization.
The Calgary Public Library said its technology services are still out at all its locations, but officials have placed blame for the problem on a recent ransomware attack.
An Alberta court has found a Langdon man who attacked and fatally injured his mother in 2023 was not criminally responsible in her death.
Calgary police are asking for public assistance to help them identify a suspect they believe was involved in a series of drug store thefts.
The national capital region will be basking in the fall sun over the coming days, with near summer-like temperatures in the forecast.
Ottawa Public Health is urging all residents to protect themselves against the flu and COVID this fall and winter. Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist Jordan Clark spoke with CTV Morning Live about what you need to know about the COVID shot, flu shot and RSV protection this fall.
The Ottawa Police Service says a driver on a sexual assault warrant was stopped Wednesday in the city's south end following an alert from the cruiser's Auto Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) camera.
Quebec鈥檚 parks management agency (SEPAQ) plans to shoot 287 deer in parks south of Montreal as part of its plan to control animal populations and protect biodivesity.
Though no trains are running on the West Island elevated REM light-rail line, a deer found its way onto the tracks and was caught on camera.
Montreal should soon house some 900 households in new off-market housing units after the federal, provincial and municipal governments dished out a total of $340 million to support the development of 893 social and affordable housing units through nine community organizations.
One person is in custody after a standoff in Camrose, Alta. that lasted nearly 18 hours.
Alberta municipalities are getting their first look at new rules around local political parties and how they will be funded.
The festival city might be short on actual festivals this weekend, but there's no shortage of other things to do in and around Edmonton.
An investigation is underway after a fatal car crash in Nova Scotia's Hants County on Thursday.
The Fredericton Police Force says three more teenagers have been charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of a man in the city last month.
With a crowded field of 16 candidates vying to be Halifax's next mayor, candidates have not always found it easy to stand out. But one thing sets Andrew Goodsell apart and makes him uniquely positioned to comment on a central campaign issue: he is living rough in a tent in the city's south end.
The federal and Manitoba governments have signed a deal to expand food programs.
Health-care support workers in Manitoba have officially ratified a new deal agreed to earlier this month.
One of four Canadian cabinet members who are stepping down said on Friday that he has confidence in Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and he played down polls predicting the Liberals will badly lose in the next election.
A man from Prince Albert has died following a collision between a semi and an SUV on Highway 2 near Chamberlain, Sask. on Thursday.
SaskPower was sentenced Friday morning in a Weyburn courtroom, receiving a record fine, after being found guilty of three workplace-safety related violations when two experienced employees were killed on the job in 2020.
Cleanup and removal of the locomotive and around 20 cars that derailed following a fatal collision with a tractor near Gerald, Sask. is expected to take weeks, CN Rail says.
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
Two police officers took the stand Thursday to describe what they found on Erick Buhr's clothing after his grandmother, Viola Erb, was attacked.
Guelph Police have arrested a man after a woman said she was sexually assaulted on the University of Guelph campus.
Saskatoon police are asking the public for help tracking down a person of interest in an ongoing aggravated and sexual assault investigation.
Saskatoon mayoral candidate Cary Tarasoff says it's time for the city to get its finances back on track after building a reputation of overspending and mismanaging costly projects.
A man from Prince Albert has died following a collision between a semi and an SUV on Highway 2 near Chamberlain, Sask. on Thursday.
Potential unmarked burials have been detected at a former residential school in northwestern Ontario.
A man from Trout Creek, Ont., has been fined $10,000 for illegally killing a moose in November 2023.
A Quebec-based company that supplies hydro turbines and generators has been fined $80,000 after a millwright was critically injured at a job site last year in Iron Bridge, Ont.
A robbery investigation by London police has resulted in the arrest of a 14-year-old boy.
A new program is hoping to empower sustainability by providing businesses access to a fleet of e-bikes for long-term trials, for free.
After just six months on the job, the city manager for St. Thomas has announced his resignation. Hired in April, Michael Bradley has now accepted a position in his hometown of Brantford as the Chief Administrative Officer.
The City of Barrie relocated its two automated speed enforcement cameras to help deter motorists from poor driving behaviours in school zones.
One person has died following a collision with a train in Bracebridge Thursday evening.
A man found guilty of dangerous driving causing death in 2021 heard from the victim鈥檚 family in a Barrie courtroom on Friday ahead of his sentencing.
A Chatham-Kent doctor is facing several sex-related charges involving a minor.
A second suspect is wanted in connection to a commercial break-and-enter investigation.
Windsor police are warning the public about an increase in break-ins and thefts from vehicles.
A British Columbia family is pleading for information about the disappearance of their son, who was 22 years old when he vanished from Kelowna 18 years ago.
An atmospheric river weather system has hit much of coastal British Columbia, bringing heavy rain, high winds and the risk of flooding.
A 53-year-old man has been arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with a fatal stabbing on Vancouver Island more than two years ago.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
With Halloween just around the corner, the Lethbridge Bulls staff have been hard at work getting Spitz Stadium ready for a different sort of fall classic.
Lethbridge post-secondary schools are trying to navigate recent changes to the cap on international students, announced by the federal government in January.
More than 600 students on the Piikani Nation will soon have a new space to learn after the federal government announced funding Thursday morning.
A man from northwestern Ontario has his fishing licence suspended for three years and faces fines of $15,870 for illegally selling leeches and baitfish.
Members of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service鈥檚 traffic unit are investigating a motor vehicle crash that occurred earlier this week.
Ontario's top court breathed new life into a Charter challenge of the provincial government's emissions target on Thursday, a decision heralded as a major victory for the group of young people -- including 17-year-old Sophia Mathur from Greater Sudbury -- who brought the case and others looking to hold governments to account on climate change.
A five-hour drive from St. John's, N.L., and well off the beaten path, Point Leamington seems an unlikely spot for a one-of-a-kind tourist attraction.
A Conservative MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says some small towns in his rural riding are overrun with crime, but police say they haven't received reports to that effect.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
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