Amazon Secured 690 Megawatts of Nuclear Power
The 20-year agreement with Constellation Energy will bring 190 megawatts of new capacity to the Maryland grid.
Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Data Centers
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Amazon has signed a power-purchase agreement to acquire 690 megawatts of electricity from Constellation Energy Corp. This deal supports an increase in capacity at the firm's nuclear reactors in Maryland.
Why it matters
The agreement highlights the growing reliance of hyperscale data centers on dedicated nuclear power to meet the energy-intensive demands of cloud and AI computing. Securing this long-term supply allows energy providers to justify capital investments in capacity upgrades.
The deal secures a total of 690 megawatts over a 20-year term, including 190 megawatts of newly generated capacity. This capacity expansion targets existing nuclear facilities in Maryland to meet baseload power requirements.
The players
Amazon
A multinational technology company providing cloud computing services that require massive data center energy loads.
Constellation Energy Corp.
A major clean energy provider that operates the largest fleet of nuclear power plants in the United States.
The details
The arrangement is structured as a power-purchase agreement, a long-term contract between an energy generator and a buyer that sets the price and delivery of electricity. By guaranteeing a long-term buyer for the power, Constellation Energy can fund the necessary modifications to its Maryland nuclear reactors to increase their output. This process typically involves turbine upgrades and efficiency optimizations within the secondary coolant loop of the nuclear plant to extract more electrical work from the same thermal energy source.
Timeline
September 30, 2026: Amazon and Constellation Energy reached the power-purchase agreement.
20-year period: Duration of the power-purchase agreement.
The Tech Race
This deal places Amazon in direct competition with other hyperscalers that are increasingly securing dedicated nuclear capacity to power data centers. It marks a clear shift toward nuclear as the primary baseload solution for high-density computing infrastructure.
This deal will eventually support the expansion of cloud computing operations, potentially improving reliability and scale for regional service users. However, residents should note that the power capacity increase is a long-term project spanning two decades.
The takeaway
The move underscores that massive, reliable, carbon-free energy is now the most critical constraint for data center growth. Observers should track subsequent regulatory filings from Maryland energy authorities for specific timelines on the capacity expansions.
Further reading
For more on how cloud providers are restructuring energy procurement, explore our coverage of Data Centers.
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Do you support big tech companies investing in nuclear energy to power their data centers?
