Google, Gates & the Energy Tech Revolution: Fusion, Fission, and the Future

The clean energy landscape is transforming rapidly as major tech companies stake their claims in next-generation power sources. Google has made a significant move by signing a power purchase agreement with Commonwealth Fusion Systems for 200 megawatts from their planned Virginia facility, showing serious confidence in fusion technology's commercial potential by the early 2030s.

Advanced nuclear energy continues to gain momentum with Bill Gates-backed TerraPower securing a massive $650 million in funding, with NVIDIA's venture arm among the investors. Their innovative sodium-cooled reactor design paired with molten salt storage promises flexible power output of up to 500 megawatts. Meanwhile, X-Energy is advancing through the regulatory process, potentially receiving NRC approval for its first commercial modular nuclear plant by late 2026, which would serve Dow's petrochemical operations in Texas.

The explosive growth of data centers is reshaping utility planning, with Arizona's Salt River Project reporting that these facilities now drive 60% of peak load growth and could potentially demand more power than the utility's entire current capacity. This trend is creating tensions globally, as evidenced by Norway considering restrictions on cryptocurrency mining operations to preserve electricity for other industries.

Energy storage is emerging as a critical solution, with New Jersey launching an ambitious initiative to deploy two gigawatts by 2030 through phased auctions. Simultaneously, the renewable industry is beginning to address end-of-life challenges, with Engie North America pioneering a pre-cycling agreement to eventually recycle a million solar panels, though questions remain about how to scale such efforts for the hundreds of millions of panels already deployed worldwide.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I've got your energy stories for this the
first week of July 2025.
And in the first one, googlehas signed a power purchase
agreement with startup fusioncompany Commonwealth Fusion
Systems for at least 200megawatts of energy from
Commonwealth's planned fusiongenerating station in
Chesterfield County, virginia.
Commonwealth aspires togenerate fusion energy by the

(00:21):
early 2030s and is presentlydeveloping a prototype facility
in Massachusetts.
Google has supported thecompany financially since 2021,
and terms of the power purchaseagreement were not disclosed.
Well, bill Gates-backed modularnuclear reactor company
TerraPower just raised anadditional $650 million with
support from NVIDIA's venturecapital arm Nventures.

(00:44):
Terrapower is working on anadvanced 345 megawatt
sodium-cooled reactor pairedwith a molten salt-based energy
storage system.
The latter can increase totaloutput up to as much as 500
megawatts for over five hourswhen needed.
Although TerraPower doesn't yethave Nuclear Regulatory
Commission NRC approval for itsdesign that's anticipated next

(01:04):
year it Commission NRC approvalfor its design that's
anticipated next year.
It has already begun developingthe site for its first plant
and modular nuclear startupX-Energy says the NRC could
approve construction of itsfirst commercial small modular
plant by the end of next year,citing quote completeness and
quality of the applicationunquote and its pre-application
interaction with the NRC since2018.

(01:25):
The first four-reactor320-megawatt plant would deliver
both heat and electricity toDow's Seadrift Petrochemical
Facility on the Gulf Coast ofTexas.
Dow commented it won't make afinancial commitment before 2028
, with the project needing tomeet financial targets and being
competitive with other cleanenergy alternatives.

(01:46):
X Energy subsidiary Triso isdeveloping a fuel fabrication
plant in Tennessee to supplythese reactors.
The US Department of Energycommitted this spring to
providing early supplies of thathigh-assay, low-enriched
uranium, known as HALU, to TrisoX and four other modular
nuclear companies, includingTerraPower.
In the past, russia has beenthe main supplier of HALU to
Triso X and four other modularnuclear companies, including
TerraPower.
In the past, russia has beenthe main supplier of HALU.

(02:10):
Arizona state-owned utility SaltRiver Project recently
commented that projected datacenter demand is responsible for
60% of its peak load growth and70% of energy sales.
Over the coming decade,potential total demand for the
utility from data centers couldequal as much as 12,000
megawatts.
This for a system thatcurrently serves about 8,000

(02:31):
megawatts of peak load.
Norway's government said it mayimpose a temporary ban on new
data centers that minecryptocurrency as early as this
fall.
The prohibition is beingconsidered in order to ensure
that there is sufficientelectricity for other industries
in the country.
A government official commentedthat quote.
Cryptocurrency mining is verypower intensive and generates

(02:53):
little in the way of jobs andincome for the local community.
In New Jersey, the Board ofPublic Utilities has rolled out
a rebranded energy storageinitiative to promote
development of two gigawatts ofenergy storage that the state
has mandated by law to procureby the year 2030.
In its announcement, the NJBPUcited quote supply chain

(03:15):
problems unquote hindering thetimely development of natural
gas and nuclear plants, asjustifying the need for energy
storage as the only way toquickly acquire new capacity.
The first phase of Phase 1 willsee pre-qualification of
bidders in a reverse auctionthis month, with a goal of 350
megawatts to as much as 750megawatts of utility-scale

(03:37):
projects.
Final bid submission will belate August, with contracts to
be awarded by October 31st.
A second element of Phase 1will be held by Q2 of next year
with the goal of filling theremainder of a one gigawatt
Phase 1 target.
A Phase 2 for another gigawattwill be developed in the near
future.
And finally, engie North Americasaid it will trial a new

(03:59):
pre-cycling provision that willinclude the recycling of solar
panels and project componentsinto initial agreements at four
Midwestern solar projectstotaling 375 megawatts,
developed in conjunction withrecycling company SolarCycle.
The plan is to recycleapproximately 1 million panels
at the end of the life of thedeal.
The initiative should divertalmost 48 million pounds of

(04:22):
material from landfills.
It does raise the question,though, as to what will happen
with everybody else's projectsand the hundreds of millions of
panels out in the wild today.
Clearly, this type ofinitiative will need to scale
considerably in the decades tocome.
Well, thanks for watching andwe'll see you again soon.