Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Elementl Power Partner to Accelerate Siting of Nuclear-Powered Data Centers

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Elementl Power have teamed up to advance a data-driven siting approach for advanced nuclear projects.  

The work started through a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) GAIN voucher and contributed to Elementl’s recent agreement with Google to prepare three U.S. sites for advanced nuclear deployment. 

Each site would have at least 600 megawatts of capacity and would likely be used to power large-scale data centers.  

Data Centers, Nuclear Energy and Siting 

Nuclear energy can provide around-the-clock abundant and reliable electricity, making it an attractive solution to meet rising energy demand from AI and data centers. However, the process for siting nuclear power plants can be complicated and time intensive. 

As part of its recently announced agreement with Elementl, Google will provide early-stage capital to develop three sites for advanced reactor projects with final technology selection and site confirmation pending further development milestones. 

Elementl uses a proprietary, multi-criteria siting framework to assess dozens of candidate locations for advanced reactor deployment across the United States—enabling faster, lower-risk project development. 

The company leveraged ORNL’s OR-SAGE siting tool to further enhance its in-house methodology, adding additional rigor and geospatial precision to its early-stage development process. 

Elementl and ORNL’s collaboration was catalyzed by a 2022 GAIN voucher award, which provided access to the nation’s national laboratory complex and expertise to help overcome technological and commercialization challenges. 

“This voucher allowed us to accelerate critical pre-development work that would otherwise take years to replicate on our own,” said David Faherty, Elementl co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer. “ORNL’s OR-SAGE platform gives us a data-driven foundation to screen regional siting options efficiently and allows our team to layer in our own project-specific criteria with greater speed and confidence.” 

What’s Next? 

Elementl will continue the evaluation of potential technology, engineering, procurement and construction activities, as well as other project partners. The company will prioritize sites for accelerated development, with an option for Google to take the commercial offtake at a later final investment decision.   

The company will continue to leverage their work with ORNL to expedite the siting of nuclear power projects in the United States to deliver more affordable, reliable and secure power. 

Separate from the Elementl announcement, Google already has an agreement in place with Kairos Power to deploy 500 MW of nuclear capacity by 2035. 

Kairos Power recently began nuclear construction on its Hermes reactor, which is one of several advanced reactor projects being supported by DOE.  

The low-power reactor will be used to inform its commercial fluoride salt-cooled high temperature reactor anticipated to be deployed in the early 2030s.  

The Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) plays a critical role in connecting emerging developers like Elementl with national laboratory resources and expertise.  

Established by DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, GAIN provides the nuclear community with the technical, regulatory, and financial support necessary to move innovative nuclear technologies toward commercialization.  

To learn more about GAIN, click HERE.