Google and Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) on June 30 announced that Google has signed a power purchase agreement for 200 megawatts of electricity from CFS’ inaugural ARC power plant.
CFS expects the fusion power plant will put power on the grid in the early 2030s. The plant is located in Chesterfield County, Virginia.
Google also has the option to offtake power from additional ARC power plants.
An investor in CFS since 2021, Google also is deepening its relationship with CFS by increasing its stake in the company. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
“By entering into this agreement with CFS, we hope to help prove out and scale a promising pathway toward commercial fusion power. We’re excited to make this longer-term bet on a technology with transformative potential to meet the world’s future energy demand, and support CFS in their efforts to reach the scientific and engineering milestones needed to get there,” said Michael Terrell, Head of Advanced Energy at Google, in a news release.
The agreement validates that CFS is developing one of the most promising paths to commercial fusion power in the coming decade, the companies said.
CFS expects that its Chesterfield County ARC power plant will be the first grid-scale fusion power plant in the world.
“Fusion power is within our grasp thanks in part to forward-thinking partners like Google, a recognized technology pioneer across industries,” said Bob Mumgaard, CEO and Co-founder of CFS. “Our strategic deal with Google is the first of many as we move to demonstrate fusion energy from SPARC and then bring our first power plant online. We aim to demonstrate fusion’s ability to provide reliable, abundant, clean energy at the scale needed to unlock economic growth and improve modern living – and enable what will be the largest market transition in history.”
