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Two Philly-area nuclear plants will be able to produce more power in the coming years as part of a deal between Google and Constellation Energy<\/a> that aims to offset the increasing energy demands of AI<\/a>. <\/p>\n The project will cost at least $4.3 billon, which Constellation will be able to invest because of Google\u2019s commitment to buying power from the company.<\/p>\n Constellation\u2019s Limerick Clean Energy Center in Montgomery County<\/a> is set to gain 348 megawatts of capacity, according to the company. With its two nuclear reactors, the Limerick plant in Pottstown currently can produce up to 2,317 megawatts of energy<\/a>, enough to power the equivalent of more than 1.7 million homes, according to Baltimore-based Constellation.<\/p>\n In South Jersey, the Salem Generating Station is also getting a boost. It is set to gain 97 megawatts, according to Constellation, which owns 43% of the plant<\/a>. The company\u2019s share currently can produce 995 megawatts, enough to power the equivalent of more than 700,000 homes. <\/p>\n PSE&G owns the other 57% of the Salem facility, which has two reactors and another unit that runs during periods of high demand.<\/p>\n These capacity increases \u2014 referred to as uprates in the industry \u2014 will take effect between 2028 and 2032, according to Constellation. <\/p>\n They are part of Constellation\u2019s and Google\u2019s larger plan to bring 890 megawatts of new capacity onto the PJM grid. PJM coordinates the flow of electricity to 67 million people in 13 states<\/a>, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and the District of Columbia. In recent years, the Montgomery County-based grid operator has said it has failed to find enough power generation<\/a> to meet anticipated demand. <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: As AI drives energy demand, PJM eyes hundreds of new power projects, including a potential first-ever nuclear fusion plant<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cPreserving and expanding the output of the existing nuclear fleet and developing new clean generation is critical to meeting our nation\u2019s growing energy needs while keeping costs affordable for homes and businesses,\u201d Joe Dominguez, chairman, president and CEO of Constellation, said in a statement.<\/p>\n The 20-year power-purchase agreement between Constellation and Google will help fund equipment and technology upgrades at six nuclear sites in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Illinois, \u201cincreasing thermal and electrical efficiency to unlock additional reliable, firm power to serve the grid,\u201d Constellation said Tuesday in a statement. The company said it plans to upgrade turbines, steam generators, and digital control systems as part of a $4.3 billion investment. <\/p>\n A Google spokesperson declined to say how much they spent on the agreement.<\/p>\n Across all locations, the deal will sustain about 4,400 existing jobs, Constellation said, and create about 7,200 construction jobs. <\/p>\n \u201cThe planned upgrades for Limerick are good news for Pennsylvania\u2019s workers and communities,\u201d said Robert Bair, president of the Pennsylvania State Building and Construction Trades Council, who estimated the move will create at least 2,500 local construction jobs.<\/p>\n Separate from the nuclear generation expansion, Google also entered into a 15-year energy supply agreement with Constellation for an additional 2,700 megawatts from the existing fleet, according to the companies. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re committed to meeting our growth responsibly by actively investing in clean, reliable power that brings new capacity to our nation\u2019s grids,\u201d Amanda Peterson Corio, Google\u2019s global head of energy and power, said in a statement. <\/p>\n The agreement will support Google\u2019s data centers in the PJM region<\/a>, which include its facilities in the data center hot spots of Ohio and Virginia, a Google spokesperson said. The company\u2019s closest data center to Philadelphia<\/a> is in Loudoun County, Va., which has become known as Data Center Alley.<\/a><\/p>\n The companies\u2019 announcement did not mention data centers<\/a>, but it did say the upgrades aligned with the White House Ratepayer Protection <\/a>Pledge<\/a>, which aims to protect consumers from footing the bill for AI data centers<\/a>. Google has said it is committed to paying for all the power used by its data centers, which handle the cloud-storage and computing needs<\/a> of increasingly sophisticated AI tools.<\/p>\n