Dominion CEO Robert Blue said the Virginia utility is discussing small modular reactors with other large data center customers.small modular nuclear reactors"It's very encouraging to see large power users, including technology companies, express a willingness to invest, partner and collaborate to bring this exciting base load carbon free technology into fruition," Dominion CEO Robert Blue told investors on the company's third-quarter earnings call Friday.
"It's not surprising that our large customers would be interested as they think about us as a good operator of nuclear, to work together on maybe advancing those kinds of technologies," the CEO told investors.Tech companies are investing in nuclear power as they hunt for carbon-free, reliable electricity to support the growing energy needs of artificial intelligence data centers. Dominion serves the largest data center market in the world, northern Virginia.
Small modular reactors promise to reduce capital costs and speed the deployment of nuclear plants. They have a smaller footprint than large reactors, making them easier to site in principle, and promise a simpler manufacturing process. But the technology has struggled to reach the commercial stage. There is no operating small modular reactor in the U.S. right now.