AWS, Meta & the Military Go Nuclear: New Energy Deals Reshape the Grid

The energy landscape is transforming rapidly as tech giants forge ahead with ambitious power supply strategies for their ever-expanding data center operations. Amazon Web Services has secured a monumental 1,920-megawatt agreement with Talon Energy to tap Pennsylvania's Susquehanna nuclear facility through 2042, cleverly restructuring a previously rejected proposal into a front-of-meter framework that sidesteps federal approval requirements.

Meanwhile, Meta is pursuing multiple paths to power security. In Ohio, they've received approval for a $1.6 billion behind-the-meter gas-fired facility featuring 31 generating units that will remain completely isolated from the grid. Simultaneously, they're partnering with XGS Energy to develop 150 megawatts of water-free geothermal power in New Mexico – a state now recognized to harbor over 160,000 megawatts of untapped geothermal potential.

Technological breakthroughs are opening exciting new possibilities in the geothermal sector. Fervo has slashed deep drilling times by 79%, reaching temperatures of 520°F at three-mile depths and drilling at 300 feet per hour at 15,000 feet down. These advances could unlock hundreds of thousands of megawatts across previously inaccessible regions of the United States. Similarly, modular nuclear technology is gaining momentum, with Oklo receiving a notice to provide electricity and heat to Alaska's Eielson Air Force Base.

Not all segments of the clean energy sector are thriving, however. Energy storage developer Powen has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy despite deploying 9,000 megawatt-hours of projects, citing import tariffs and regulatory uncertainties around investment tax credits. Solar companies Sunova and Mosaic face similar challenges, having also filed for bankruptcy protection.

What does this tell us about the future of energy? As traditional players struggle with regulatory headwinds, tech giants are increasingly taking their energy destiny into their own hands – whether through nuclear partnerships, behind-the-meter solutions, or investments in emerging technologies. Subscribe to our channel to stay informed about these pivotal developments reshaping our energy landscape!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I've got your energy stories for this.
The third week of June 2025.
The first one well, more datacenter supply agreements in the
news.
Talon Energy and Amazon WebServices have signed a 1,920
megawatt power purchaseagreement to supply Pennsylvania
data centers from theSusquehanna nuclear facility.
This agreement is notablebecause Talon and AWS had

(00:22):
originally sought to expand a300 megawatt contract in which
Talon was serving a co-locatedAWS data center.
They wanted to boost that to960 megawatts, an arrangement
that the Federal EnergyRegulatory Commission rejected.
Under the new contract, this300 megawatts will be included
with an additional 1,620megawatts in a front-of-meter

(00:44):
framework that requires nofederal approval.
The contract runs through 2042and specifies deliveries of
between 840 and 1,200 megawattsin 2029, 1,680 megawatts to
1,920 megawatts in 2032, and soon.
Talon will function as retailpower supplier to AWS, with PPL

(01:04):
electric utilities supportingtransmission and delivery, Also
with data centers in power.
Last week the Ohio Power SitingBoard okayed a 200-megawatt
gas-fired gen facility to servea new Meta data center.
The arrangement here involvesWilliams and Meta, with three
different variants of gasturbines and 31 units in total,

(01:24):
including 14 reciprocatingengines.
Apparently, the combined outputis 320 plus megawatts, with all
31 plants located behind themeter exclusively for data
center use and physically notconnected to the grid.
This co-location approach isincreasingly being employed by
some data center developersanxious to get up and running,

(01:44):
who are facing difficulties inaccessing grid interconnections.
Construction of the $1.6billion project is expected to
begin shortly, with an estimatedcompletion date of Q3 2026.
Also in the data center powersupply game, advanced geothermal
company XGS Energy and MetaPlatforms announced an agreement

(02:04):
for development of 150megawatts of geothermal energy
in New Mexico that will beconnected to local utility PNM's
power grid.
Xgs uses zero water in itsoperations, which is a boon in
drier locations.
A new report identifies over160,000 megawatts of untapped
geothermal potential in NewMexico.

(02:26):
Speaking of advanced andenhanced geothermal, enhanced
geothermal company Vervo, whichuses fracking, unlike Advanced,
which is a closed system, Vervoreports successful completion of
a new appraisal well, threemiles in depth, with a projected
bottom hole temperature of 520degrees Fahrenheit.
Bottom hole temperature of 520degrees Fahrenheit.

(02:48):
The undertaking took just 16days, which represents a 79% cut
in the duration versus the USDOE reference baseline for deep
wells.
At depths of 15,000 feet, itwas able to drill 300 feet per
hour.
So what?
Well, owing to the continentalgeology of this country, rock in
the western part of the UnitedStates was suitable for
shallower geothermal wells, butin the east you had to drill a

(03:09):
lot deeper.
Now, with these deeper depths,bottom temps can be accessed
that are hotter, rendering farmore of the US as a potentially
viable geothermal resource ForFervo's Cape Station, Utah
location.
A survey there suggestspotential for over 5,000
megawatts of development atdepths to 13,000 feet.
With these new results, theresource is expected to be even

(03:32):
greater with those hottertemperatures further down.
National models indicate thereare hundreds of thousands of
megawatts of potential forgeothermal development between
10,000 and 20,000 feet, withtemps ranging from 400 to 600
degrees Fahrenheit.
The industry is evolving quickly.
Vervo notes that five years agofield trials were dealing with

(03:52):
temps in the 300 degreesFahrenheit range.
Modular nuclear technologycompany Oklo says it has
received a notice of intent toaward by the Defense Logistics
Agency on behalf of theDepartment of the Air Force and
the US Department of Defense.
Under this agreement, Oclowould design, construct, own and
operate the power plant, whichwould provide electricity and

(04:14):
heat to Eielson Air Force Basein Alaska.
Terms and duration were notspecified in Oclo's press
release.
Unfortunately, US energy storagedeveloper Powen just filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief.
One of the largest storagedevelopers and operators on the
planet, with an estimated 9,000megawatt hours of projects
deployed.
Powen cited import tariffs andother political and regulatory

(04:38):
uncertainties, especiallyrelated to the investment tax
credits.
Last week, two residentialsolar companies, Sunova and
Mosaic, also filed for Chapter11.
Tough time for many companiesin this space these days.
And finally, US battery swapcompany Ample announced a
partnership in Madrid, Spain,with mobility solutions provider

(05:01):
Free2Move, utilizing up to 100adapted Fiat 500e vehicles with
swappable drop-in battery packsprovided by Ample.
This approach allows for fullbattery recharge in under five
minutes, maximizing fleetavailability while cutting both
operational costs and relianceon charging infrastructure.
Well, that's all for this week.

(05:21):
Thanks for watching and we'llsee you again soon.