Google has contracted for 3,590 megawatts of power from Constellation Energy on PJM Interconnection, the largest US power grid, in a deal that includes 890 megawatts of new nuclear capacity from upgrades to existing reactors, the companies announced Tuesday.
Under a 20-year power purchase agreement, Google will buy the added output from 11 Constellation-owned nuclear units at six sites in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Constellation said the work represents more than $4.3 billion of new investment, with the first upgrade expected to be delivered by 2028. Google said the projects will add the full 890 megawatts before the end of 2032, roughly the equivalent of a new large reactor.
These upgrades, known as uprates, boost the output of existing reactors by modernizing turbines, steam generators and digital control systems, according to Google. About half of Constellation’s investment, roughly $2 billion, will go to the Byron, Braidwood, LaSalle and Quad Cities plants in Illinois, a Constellation spokesman told the Chicago Tribune.
The companies also signed a 15-year supply agreement for an additional 2,700 megawatts in PJM. That power is not tied to a specific generation source and gives Constellation’s operating plants long-term revenue certainty, Google said. New nuclear energy accounts for about a quarter of the total.
The companies called the deal a direct response to PJM’s “Bring Your Own Power” proposal. PJM management has proposed requiring data center customers on the 13-state grid to either bring their own power or face being shut off from grid power remotely during peak demand, according to Reuters. Google said that as anchor customer for the uprates, it will ensure other grid customers bear none of the associated costs. The agreement also includes demand-response provisions to curtail non-critical power use during high-stress grid events.
“Our agreement with Constellation to fund nuclear reactor uprates will strengthen the PJM grid, which serves 67 million people, all while protecting energy affordability and supporting local union jobs,” said Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s global head of energy and power.
Constellation also selected Google Cloud and Gemini Enterprise under an expanded five-year technology alliance, building AI agent workflows into uprate planning, plant operations and the security of its operational technology networks. Google said the deal brings the new US nuclear capacity it has enabled through uprates and restarts to more than 1.5 gigawatts. Its other nuclear deals include an agreement with NextEra Energy to restart the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa.
Sources
- Reuters: Google enters massive 3.6-GW power deal with Constellation Energy (October 6, 2026)
- Constellation Energy: Google and Constellation Announce Landmark Agreement to Bring 890 MW of New Nuclear Capacity to PJM Grid (October 6, 2026)
- Google: Why we’re backing America’s existing nuclear plants (October 6, 2026)
- Chicago Tribune: Constellation and Google announce plan to increase nuclear capacity in Illinois, two other states (October 6, 2026)