Kentucky data center operator eyes small nuclear reactors to power next project
The owner of one of Kentucky’s bitcoin mining centers is partnering with a small modular nuclear reactor developer for its future projects, including to power more of its data centers.
Riot Platforms Inc., which operates a cryptocurrency mining facility in McCracken County, said May 6 it had partnered with Terrestrial Energy Inc., a developer of nuclear power sources.
The two publicly traded companies will “develop a best-in-class pairing of future data centers with co-located advanced nuclear plants,” according to a media release.
Riot Platforms and Terrestrial Energy said they would consider project opportunities at multiple sites, including near Riot Platforms’ existing facility just outside Paducah in Industrial Park West. The company owns a 60-megawatt facility it bought in 2024 with the intention to scale it to 110 megawatts.
A bitcoin mining center is a kind of data center that performs tasks related to solving algorithms to obtain more of the digital currency, whereas a “regular” data center supports, hosts and stores data for one or multiple users for websites and software.
“Our data centers require reliable and predictable energy at the scale demanded by today’s hyperscale customers,” said Riot Platforms CEO Jason Les in the release. “Partnering with Terrestrial Energy positions our facilities at the forefront of data center deployment, utilizing clean energy and benefitting both our customers and the communities we operate in.”
Les entered into two power purchase agreements earlier this year with Jackson Purchase Energy Corporation for the utility to provide electricity to its bitcoin facility until 2043.
Terrestrial Energy uses a reactor technology that employs molten salt as its coolant and fuel. The way it separates its energy conversion systems allows for multiple sources of power to be used at once.
“Riot has proven it can build and operate large-scale digital infrastructure, and our small and modular ISMR Plant is designed to deliver the reliable, low-cost power those operations need,” said Terrestrial Energy CEO Simon Irish in the release.
There are no small modular reactors operating in the U.S., but there are almost three dozen designs in the pre-application design permitting phase at the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Terrestrial Energy is developing its plant projects across multiple states and uses readily available low enriched uranium.
Two other companies in Paducah — General Matter and Global Laser Enrichment — are investing billions of dollars in Western Kentucky to enrich uranium for larger projects.
The Riot and Terrestrial Energy partnership was announced the same week Kentucky’s two largest power utilities said they would collaborate with a prefabricated nuclear reactor manufacturer.
Louisville Gas & Electric Co. and Kentucky Utilities are conducting a feasibility study with X-energy to consider deploying small modular reactors to prop up data centers and to support long-term grid stability.
The companies appear motivated by new legislation Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed into law last month that eases the cost of applications and permitting for nuclear energy facilities.
Lawmakers have said the type of energy being investigated in both partnerships — LG&E and KU and X-energy alongside Riot and Terrestrial Energy — is small and versatile enough to serve individual customers, like a single data center.
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