25 August 2025, Google and Kairos Power have announced a strategic collaboration with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to deploy the first advanced nuclear plant in the region under a new power purchase agreement (PPA). The agreement will see Kairos Power’s Hermes 2 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, supplying up to 50 MWe of reliable, 24/7 electricity to TVA’s grid, supporting Google’s data centers in TVA’s service area.

TVA becomes the first U.S. utility to enter a PPA for electricity from an advanced, Generation IV reactor. The Hermes 2 facility marks the first deployment under Kairos Power’s landmark agreement with Google, designed to bring 500 MWe of advanced nuclear capacity online by 2035. This initiative aligns with Google’s commitment to decarbonize its operations while supporting its growing data center energy requirements.

To meet Google’s energy demand, Kairos Power plans to scale Hermes 2 from an initial 28 MW to 50 MW from a single reactor, scheduled for revenue operations in 2030. Future expansion will include three additional plants, each equipped with two 75-MW reactors. Google will procure clean energy attributes from these facilities via TVA, ensuring its data centers in Montgomery County, TN, and Jackson County, AL, are powered with locally sourced, carbon-free energy.

The partnership operates under a master “order book” framework, allowing Google to invest in multiple reactors simultaneously rather than purchasing incrementally. This long-term approach sends a strong market signal and accelerates the development of small modular reactors (SMRs), with milestone-based accountability embedded to reinforce delivery confidence.

“Our partnership with Google will enable Kairos Power to rapidly advance down the learning curve, achieving cost and schedule certainty for our commercial products,” said Mike Laufer, CEO and co-founder of Kairos Power.

Kairos Power’s technology leverages molten-salt cooling and ceramic pebble-type fuel, providing efficient heat transport to steam turbines for electricity generation. This low-pressure, passively safe system simplifies nuclear plant design while offering inherent safety advantages. Unlike traditional water-cooled reactors, Kairos uses molten fluoride salt to carry heat, reducing accident risks and eliminating the need for high-pressure containment systems.

The Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor, cleared by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for construction, is the first Generation IV reactor permitted in the U.S. and the first non-light-water reactor approved in over 50 years. Kairos is also developing a reactor-grade salt production facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to support commercial operations.