AEP, X-energy and Amazon to Evaluate 960 MW Nuclear Project in Sullivan County, Indiana
American Electric Power (AEP) and nuclear developer X-energy announced a joint development agreement on October 19 to advance feasibility work for a proposed 960-megawatt advanced nuclear plant in Sullivan County, Indiana, with Amazon providing project development funding.
The companies will evaluate a 12-unit plant using X-energy's Xe-100 small modular reactors, each rated at 80 megawatts, near the former site of the retired Breed Generating Station, an AEP-owned brownfield site. The project remains at the feasibility stage and would proceed to construction only after a final investment decision.
If the plant is built, Amazon intends to purchase its electricity under a long-term contract covering the costs of the facility and its operations, an arrangement AEP said is designed to protect existing utility customers from project costs. AEP Chairman, President and CEO Bill Fehrman said the agreements with Amazon and X-energy will provide all necessary capital protections and financial safeguards the company considers essential for any potential nuclear project.
The Indiana proposal is the second commercial deployment under X-energy and Amazon's collaboration aimed at bringing more than 5 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity to the U.S. grid by 2039. If completed, the plant is expected to supply clean baseload power to the regional grid for more than 60 years, while creating jobs and local tax revenue. Indiana Governor Mike Braun said the project could help strengthen the state's grid and position Indiana as a national leader in advanced nuclear energy.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：核电站冷却塔（示意图，非项目现场）。照片：Wikimedia Commons。A nuclear power plant cooling tower (illustrative file photo). Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
