Amazon Prefers Renewables in Asia as Nuclear Still Elusive

(Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc. is currently only looking at wind and solar to offer green power for projects in Asia, even as global technology companies begin examining nuclear generation to supply energy-hungry data centers.

“We’re going where we can procure today, and that’s renewables” in the region, said Ken Haig, APAC regional head of energy and environmental policy at Amazon Web Services. “Is it possible to procure nuclear power in this part of the world? Not yet.”

This is in contrast to the US, where tech titans including Amazon and Microsoft Corp. are turning to nuclear energy to fuel their power-hungry data centers. The technology provides low-carbon electricity around the clock, a key benefit over intermittent wind and solar.

Microsoft has secured the full output from the idle Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania once it restarts in 2028. Earlier Amazon had bought a nuclear-powered data center in the state.

While Asia remains one of the most challenging geographies to acquire green power, it’s the region with the greatest potential, Haig said. For instance, it’s now easier to source clean energy in Japan, while purchase regulations in Vietnam and Malaysia have seen encouraging progress.

Currently, Amazon has enabled 83 renewable energy projects across Asia Pacific with a combined estimated generating capacity of more than 2.2 gigawatts, according to the firm. The company is seeking to source more clean power agreements in Southeast Asia and India.

“There’s no question that in this part of the world renewables remain the most available, scalable, affordable and mature technology that we can turn to today,” Haig said. 

(Updates with details of Amazon’s renewable projects in Asia in sixth paragraph.)

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