Blue Energy Plans Data Center Plant Powered by Gas Then Nuke
(Bloomberg) -- Blue Energy Global Inc., a nuclear startup, is planning a power plant in Texas that will supply as much as 1.5 gigawatts of electricity to a new data center, initially using natural gas systems and eventually shifting to small reactors.
The campus in Port of Victoria, southwest of Houston, is expected to begin delivering electricity to Crusoe Inc.’s data center as soon as 2028, with the reactor going into service by 2031, according to a statement Thursday from Blue Energy.
The schedule and the strategy of using different generating systems reflects the challenges of supplying power-hungry data centers. Big technology companies are clamoring for electricity as soon as possible to run artificial intelligence systems, but the nuclear industry is unlikely to deliver any new reactors for years.
Gas will serve as a “bridge” until fission is available, said Jake Jurewicz, Blue Energy’s chief executive officer. The plan also means the project, the company’s first, will generate revenue in the next few years, making it easier to line up project financing.
“It allows us to move much faster,” Jurewicz said in an interview. “Gas is there as the catalyst to get a nuclear project done.”
Blue Energy plans to use a light-water reactor and is evaluating several potential vendors. The company says it already has a supplier lined up for the gas turbines.
Jurewicz is confident banks will be willing to support the project given the strong demand for electricity, especially carbon-free power. “There’s a lot of appetite to invest in nuclear,” he said.
(Updates with comment from CEO in last paragraph. An earlier version of this story corrected a company name.)
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