In brief
- Amazon, X-energy and American Electric Power (AEP) (19 October 2026) say they have signed an agreement to explore deploying X-energy’s small modular reactor (SMR) technology in Indiana.
- Under that agreement they will target building 12 Xe-100 units — about 960 MW — to serve the regional grid and Amazon’s data centres, on the former coal-fuelled Breed Generating Station site in Sullivan County.
- What’s still unknown: whether the plant gets built, when it would operate, and how much capital this Indiana project would take — the release gives no operating date and no investment amount.
This is a development-exploration step, not a notice that shovels are in the ground. Amazon says it would be a project development funder and the first customer to buy power once a plant is operational.
What exactly was signed?
Amazon’s post says the three companies “have signed an agreement to explore deploying X-energy’s small modular reactor (SMR) technology in Indiana,” and that under the agreement they will “target building 12 of X-energy’s Xe-100 SMRs, which would add 960 megawatts (MW) of new, carbon-free energy.”
| Item | Detail (Amazon) |
|---|---|
| Parties | Amazon, X-energy, AEP |
| Status | Agreement to explore |
| Target | 12 Xe-100 SMRs ≈ 960 MW |
| Site | Former Breed coal plant, Sullivan County, Indiana |
| Offtake | Amazon as first customer if built |
| Jobs (potential) | 1,000+ construction; 100+ permanent |
| Operating date | Not given |
| Project investment | Not given |
How big is each reactor?
Amazon describes the Xe-100 as an 80 MW high-temperature gas-cooled reactor using helium coolant and TRISO fuel. Twelve units at 80 MW each match the 960 MW target.
How does this fit Amazon’s wider nuclear plan?
Amazon calls this the second project under its collaboration with X-energy aimed at adding more than 5 GW of new U.S. nuclear capacity by 2039, after the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility in Washington state.
Background, not this deal’s price tag: Amazon led X-energy’s 2024 Series C-1 financing, which “ultimately closed at $700 million,” via the Climate Pledge Fund.
Who is affected?
- Indiana grid customers and communities near the Breed site, if the project moves from exploration to construction.
- Amazon data-centre load in the region that would take power if the plant runs.
- AEP / Indiana Michigan Power, named as the experienced nuclear operator partner.
- Other hyperscalers watching SMR offtake as a template for AI power.
Our read
Big Tech’s nuclear story is still mostly pipeline and offtake, and this Indiana announcement fits that pattern: a three-party explore deal with a neat 12×80 MW target and no FID-style date or dollar figure. The useful signal for data-centre planners is site reuse (coal to SMR) plus Amazon’s claim it would fund development and take first power — not that 960 MW is already financed or licensed. Watch for NRC/state milestones and a firm offtake contract before treating the megawatts as bankable.
What’s still unknown?
- Final investment decision and total project cost
- Construction start and commercial operation dates
- How power would be split between the grid and Amazon campuses
- Licensing and local-approval path for the Breed site
How we sourced this
- Sole primary: Amazon: nuclear energy project in Indiana with X-energy and AEP — 19 October 2026.
- Framed as an agreement to explore, matching the body of the Amazon post. Headline/key-takeaway “invests”/“funding” language was not treated as a disclosed dollar commitment for this site.
Sources
- [1] Amazon: invests in nuclear energy project targeting nearly 1 gigawatt… Indiana — 19 October 2026
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