𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨? Following the completion of Southern Nuclear’s Vogtle-4 there are now zero large scale reactors currently under construction in the US. Achieving these targets would effectively “re-start” the US nuclear industry, which is likely the point.
Source | World Nuclear Association
𝘿𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨:
• The US nuclear operating capacity sits at ~97GW and adding another 200 GW creates the headline of “tripling capacity”.
• For context, 66 reactors (~67 GW) are currently under construction globally, led by ~32 GW in China, 5.4 GW in India and ~4.4 GW in Turkey and Egypt.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣? The energy intensity of AI tools versus incumbent technologies. For example, I have been using the ChatGPT search extension, but it requires 10x the energy of a Google search.
𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨? AI-powered tools have seamlessly integrated into my daily workflows, offering tailored responses and streamlining tasks—even in areas where a simple Google search might suffice.
Yet, this is just the beginning. The range and complexity of workflows being reshaped by AI are growing at an astonishing pace.
And it means that even as chips and algorithms become more efficient, I find myself evolving into a far more energy-intensive office worker—leveraging technology to push productivity (and ease of use), but consuming more energy along the way.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣? Alberta seeking $100B in data center investment over five years.
𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨? While some jurisdictions worry about meeting the energy demand generated by data center development, others like Alberta are actively seeking out the investment these facilities bring with them. As my colleague Carson Kearl notes, there is about 6,500 MW of data center proposals in the AESO’s queue, and it will take all of that and more to hit the province’s target.
Note: To put 6,500 MW in context, it is more than 50% of Alberta’s record electricity demand of 12,384 MW, achieved On January 11, 2024.
Data center energy demand headlines are everywhere in energy. My favorite part of these this theme is how these assets are forcing the folks to integrate the full energy system into their analysis. This post from Manuj Nikhanj highlights the work our team is doing in this area. The report he highlights makes a lot of “hard” look easy.
The race for data center development is one our customers can’t afford to lose. Avoiding suboptimal locations not only saves excessive study costs but also saves time, keeping developers competitive. In a Cleveland area case study, we highlight a siting workflow that successfully qualifies and ranks over 600,000 parcels in minutes, quickly identifying fewer than 20 optimal sites, ultimately pitching 2 sites ideal for hyperscale sized development. While certain criteria are nonnegotiable when it comes to siting like sufficient withdrawal capacity, available transmission, adequate buildable acres and access to fiber-optic lines, evaluating sites on additional criteria is what really separates the exceptional sites from the rest. Enverus, Enverus Intelligence® Research
