Dominion Energy Virginia has partnered Amazon to explore the advancement of small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear technology in the state of Virginia.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed to investigate innovative development structures for SMR projects.

Amazon global data centres vice-president Kevin Miller said: “Bringing new sources of carbon-free energy to the grid is an important part of Amazon's commitment to serve our customers and achieve net zero carbon across our operations by 2040.

“Nuclear energy is safe, reliable and can help meet the energy needs of our customers for decades to come.”

The companies have outlined their collaborative efforts to pursue novel approaches to SMR development and financing.

Their initiative seeks to address potential cost and development risks for customers and capital providers, while maintaining Dominion Energy's commitment to its credit and risk profile objectives, as per its recent business review.

In July 2024, Dominion Energy initiated a request for proposals from leading SMR nuclear technology firms to assess the possibility of constructing an SMR at the North Anna power station in Louisa County, Virginia.

The RFP does not guarantee the building of an SMR at this site but represents a significant step in evaluating the technology's viability there.

Dominion Energy chair, president and CEO Robert Blue stated: “This agreement builds on our longstanding partnership with Amazon and other leading tech companies to accelerate the development of carbon-free power generation in Virginia.”

Meanwhile, the X-Energy Reactor Company, a company specialising in advanced nuclear reactor and fuel technology, has secured $500m in a Series C-1 financing round led by Amazon.

This investment will support the completion of X-energy's reactor design and licensing, the initial phase of its TRISO-X fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and future carbon-free energy projects using X-energy’s Xe-100 advanced SMRs.