Constellation pursuing data centers at power plants despite regulatory setback
Technology
Constellation pursuing data centers at power plants despite regulatory setback
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Constellation Energy will continue to pursue deals to develop data centers on the sites of its US power plants, days after federal regulators dealt a blow to the so-called co-located arrangements, company executives said on Monday.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday rejected an agreement to increase the power capacity of an Amazon data center connected directly to Talen Energy's nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania in a decision seen as chilling similar deals.
Constellation said it is seeking guidance from regulators after FERC's decision about co-location, which has become a promising way for Big Tech to access large amounts of power for its AI expansion instead of waiting for years to interconnect.
"We will pursue this regular clarity while simultaneously pursuing commercial strategies for co-location that are permitted under our existing rules," Constellation CEO Joseph Dominguez said on a company earnings call.
"There are multiple regulatory and commercial pathways to resolve the co-location issues, and we will work quickly with customers and other stakeholders to put these in place."
Constellation, which is the largest operator of US nuclear power plants, had backed Talen in the regulatory battle. Shares of the nuclear power operators had shot up this year partly on the prospect of developing co-located data centers.
Constellation stock was down about 10% on Monday.
The FERC fight was brought by electric utilities Exelon and American Electric Power, which opposed the Talen-Amazon data center interconnection agreement, saying that it threatened to raise power bills for everyday customers and erode grid reliability.
