Amazon Bets Big On Tri-Cities Nukes To Feed Seattle’S Cloud Habit

Amazon is supporting a nuclear energy project in Washington to expand its carbon-free electricity for data centers that power cloud, AI and streaming services across the Pacific Northwest, aiming for reliable, zero-carbon energy as demand grows. During an appearance on KOMO’s "ARC Seattle," Brandon Oyer, who leads energy and water strategy for Amazon Web Services, said nuclear can provide steady clean power to complement renewables, a message shared on the KOMO News program ARC Seattle.

What Amazon Is Building Near Richland

Energy Northwest and its partners have rolled out concept plans for the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility, a proposed small modular reactor campus next to Energy Northwest's existing Columbia Generating Station outside Richland. The first phase is slated to use four X-energy Xe-100 reactor modules capable of producing about 320 megawatts, with an option to scale up to 12 modules and roughly 960 megawatts in total capacity, according to Energy Northwest. The site is being designed to push firm, carbon-free electricity onto the regional grid and to give Amazon the option to buy power from the initial units, as reported by DatacenterDynamics.

Amazon's Investment And Strategy

Amazon has flagged nuclear energy as one piece of its broader push to lock in reliable, carbon-free electricity while AI and cloud workloads surge. In a company update, Amazon described its nuclear moves as a complement to more than 700 clean-energy projects around the world. At the same time, CNBC reported that Amazon led an investment round of roughly $500 million into X-energy to speed up development of the reactor technology. Put together, the equity stake and potential long-term power deals are meant to give AWS steady, around-the-clock electricity for power-hungry services.

Jobs, Timelines And Seattle's Role

Project materials and company statements estimate that the Cascade campus could create more than 1,000 construction jobs and about 100 permanent roles, with construction targeted by the end of this decade and operations expected in the 2030s, according to Power Magazine. Even though the reactors would sit in the Tri-Cities, the project lands close to home for Seattle because it is tied directly to Amazon's headquarters and enormous AWS presence here, as KOMO noted. Local utilities, Tribal governments and state regulators are expected to scrutinize permit filings as the concept moves toward formal applications.

Regulatory Road Ahead

The Cascade project will need to clear federal licensing, environmental review and local stakeholder processes before any concrete gets poured. The Xe-100 design is already under review at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for other proposed deployments, and the agency's review timelines will heavily influence how quickly the Washington project can move, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Energy Northwest says it has begun engagement with Tribal Nations and is conducting environmental work to prepare permit applications for regulators.

For Seattle, the plan highlights just how aggressively its largest tech employer is working to secure dependable, carbon-free power for a rapidly expanding cloud and AI footprint. Expect a steady stream of filings and public meetings in the Tri-Cities as regulators and nearby communities dig into the details.