en.Wedoany.com Reported - Nuclear power is highly compatible with data center requirements, providing them with round-the-clock reliable electricity and long-term stable costs. Research from the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory shows that with the development of artificial intelligence and the digital economy, the electricity load of U.S. data centers is projected to increase from 4% to 9% of national electricity consumption by 2030, a trend that is reshaping utility planning and grid operations.
Hyperscale data center campuses require hundreds of megawatts of power for IT equipment and cooling systems to meet high availability requirements. Concurrently, major operators generally have strict decarbonization targets, limiting the use of fossil fuels. Nuclear power plants can provide stable output, reducing risks associated with fuel price volatility and transmission constraints. This conclusion comes from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) technical report "Preliminary Analysis of Nuclear-Powered Data Center Scenarios" (Report No. ANL/NSE-25/47, doi.org/10.2172/3001074), published in August 2025 by Nicolas Stauff, Manager of the Nuclear Applications and Economics group at Argonne National Laboratory, and his colleagues.
Data centers can procure nuclear power from the grid through power purchase agreements, adopt a behind-the-meter supply model (maintaining a grid connection for backup and export), or operate independently in an island configuration. Each approach differs in reliability design, metering rules, and market access. Beyond power supply, the industry is also exploring tighter integration schemes, such as sharing cooling infrastructure or utilizing nuclear heat to drive absorption chillers for chilled water production.
In the United States, data centers and accompanying nuclear power plants can be developed on greenfield sites in all states. Brownfield development at existing nuclear plant sites or recently retired coal-fired power plant sites offers advantages in land acquisition, grid infrastructure, and water resources. Such projects are also advancing on U.S. federal lands, where the DOE has announced four candidate sites currently in various stages of project screening.
In the near term, significant nuclear capacity can be made available to data centers through power uprates, extending contracts for existing units, and restarting recently closed units. Supported by a growing fuel and supply chain, new large reactors, small modular reactors (SMRs), and microreactors can provide additional capacity in the 2030s. This bidirectional partnership is taking shape: sustained data center demand, long-term contracts, and direct investment are improving financing conditions and accelerating the deployment of nuclear power, including advanced fission and fusion reactors.
Nicolas Stauff (nstauff@anl.gov) is the Manager of the Nuclear Applications and Economics group at Argonne National Laboratory.
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