Nuclear Constellation announces hourly matching agreement with ComEd for 100% nuclear power Clarion Energy Content Directors 9.15.2023 Share Constellation Energy announced an hourly matching agreement that will see utility ComEd power all its 54 offices and metered facilities with locally produced nuclear energy. The agreement means ComEd will be able to power its facilities with 100 percent clean energy produced at the same time and place it is consumed, in a ‘first’ for an investor-owned U.S. utility. The ComEd agreement follows a similar hourly-matching agreement between Constellation and Microsoft to power one of the latter’s Virginia data centers with nearly 100 percent nuclear energy. In 2022, Constellation and Microsoft developed a analytics-based software solution to help companies match their energy use every hour of the day with locally produced carbon-free electricity, with Microsoft becoming the first customer to use the technology. Many organizations aiming for net-zero emissions currently purchase annual renewable energy certificates (RECs), representing clean energy generated by solar or wind facilities within the U.S. over a year. However, this approach often means energy comes from distant locations and times, even though operations are nearby. In 2021, the White House issued an Executive Order recognizing the significance of hourly carbon-free energy matching in achieving clean energy goals. The order directed federal agencies to collaborate to ensure that 50% of all federal buildings use hourly matching with clean energy by 2030. “Matching clean energy production to the time and place a customer uses it is the only way we will truly achieve zero carbon emissions across our economy,” said Joe Dominguez, President and CEO of Constellation. Chicago-headquartered ComEd’s hourly purchase of carbon-free energy will match its expected electricity consumption of approximately 65,000 megawatt-hours. This consumption includes the company’s corporate and regional headquarters, reporting centers, business offices, training facilities, special-use facilities and substations. Related Articles Washington state lawmakers allocate $25 million to advance SMR development DOE releases $1.6 billion budget for nuclear energy office: Here’s how it would be spent Oklo and Argonne claim milestone in fast fission test Conditions inside Fukushima’s melted nuclear reactors still unclear 13 years after disaster struck
