Amazon backs 960 MW nuclear project on former coal site in Indiana
Amazon, X-energy and American Electric Power (AEP) have signed an agreement to explore building 12 Xe-100 small modular reactors in Indiana, targeting 960 megawatts of carbon-free energy. Amazon is acting as a project development funder and would be the first customer to buy power from the plant once it operates.
- Amazon, X-energy and AEP will explore 12 Xe-100 SMRs in Indiana, targeting 960 MW.
- Amazon is a project development funder and would be the first customer to buy the plant's power.
- The site is the former coal-fueled Breed Generating Station in Sullivan County.
- It is the second project in the effort to add more than 5 GW of U.S. nuclear capacity by 2039.
- Amazon cites more than 1,000 potential construction jobs and more than 100 permanent jobs.
What the agreement covers
Under the agreement, the three companies will target the construction of 12 of X-energy's Xe-100 small modular reactors (SMRs). According to Amazon, the plant would add 960 megawatts (MW) of new carbon-free energy that would serve both the regional power grid and Amazon's data centers.
The proposed site is the former Breed Generating Station in Sullivan County, which was fueled by coal. The project would therefore also redevelop that site. Amazon says the facility has the potential to create more than 1,000 construction jobs and more than 100 permanent jobs.
This is the second project in the collaboration between Amazon and X-energy, which aims to add more than 5 gigawatts (GW) of new nuclear capacity to the U.S. grid by 2039. The first is the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility in Washington state.
The reactor and the partners
The Xe-100 is an 80 MW high-temperature gas-cooled reactor that uses helium as a coolant and runs on TRISO fuel. The U.S. Department of Energy describes TRISO as the "most robust nuclear fuel on Earth" because it can withstand extreme temperatures. Amazon says the design means the reactor's physics prevent a meltdown without active systems or human intervention.
According to Amazon, the compact footprint and safety features allow the reactors to be built closer to where power is needed. Plants using the Xe-100 can use air-cooled condensers, water-cooled systems or a hybrid approach, which Amazon says supports deployment in water-constrained regions.
AEP and its Indiana Michigan Power utility have operated a nuclear power plant for more than 50 years, which Amazon cites as the reason they are well suited to operate the facility.
Amazon's relationship with X-energy began through the Climate Pledge Fund, its $2 billion venture investment program. In 2024 Amazon led X-energy's Series C-1 round, which closed at $700 million and funds reactor design and licensing as well as the first phase of the TRISO-X fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Ratepayers, local impact and what it means
Amazon frames the project as part of a long-term commitment to Indiana's energy infrastructure that does not pass costs to local residents and businesses. Earlier this year it signed the White House Ratepayer Protection Pledge, committing to pay the full electricity costs of serving its data centers, including additional infrastructure.
Amazon points to AEP's plan to lower residential rates by $100 starting in 2027 and freeze them for three years. That follows an average 3.6% base rate reduction in June 2026, which Amazon says was driven by increased revenue from large customers like Amazon.
The company also says its carbon-free projects contributed $160 million to Indiana's GDP from 2023 through 2025, supporting more than 100 jobs every year and contributing more than $11 million in tax revenue.
The agreement is to explore deployment, so the plant is still a target rather than a finished plan. Amazon says it is investing in more than 40 gigawatts of carbon-free energy across more than 700 projects globally, and presents the Indiana plan as a response to rising electricity demand driven by electrification, manufacturing and the expansion of AI.
