Talen Amazon PPA: Susquehanna Nuclear Supply Up to 1,920 MW Through 2042

Talen Energy's Amazon PPA now runs on new terms: up to 1,920 MW from the Susquehanna nuclear plant through 2042, under a front-of-the-meter structure that took effect in April 2026. Talen reports third-quarter results on Nov. 3, 2026, after Amazon's Oct. 29 call.

The April switch comes from Talen's quarterly report for the period ended June 30, filed with the SEC on Aug. 5. It says the switch to the revised Amazon Web Services (AWS) power purchase agreement (PPA) took place in April 2026. The revision expanded a March 2024 contract for up to 960 MW fed straight to the AWS data campus beside the plant. For Amazon, the result is firm nuclear supply from a plant that already runs, under a signed contract. The full quantity is a ceiling it reaches in steps, not power it receives today, and none of the filings read says how many megawatts flow now.

How Susquehanna's Reactors and the Meter Switch Work

Susquehanna is a two-unit boiling water reactor plant in Salem Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, near Berwick. Both units are General Electric Type 4 designs with Mark II containments, each licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) at 3,952 MWt of thermal output. Utility Dive calls it a 2,475-MW plant but does not state the basis. A subsidiary of Talen operates the plant and owns 90% of it, according to the 10-Q.

The idea that matters here is not the reactor but the meter. Under the 2024 deal, the campus sat beside the plant and took power on Talen's side of the grid connection, what Talen calls a co-located load arrangement. Under the revised deal, Susquehanna sells its output into the PJM Interconnection grid, Talen acts as Amazon's retail electricity supplier, and PPL Electric Utilities handles transmission and delivery. PPL says large-load customers pay significant transmission charges on its network. It also frees the supply from the plant's fence line: Talen said it can deliver to other Amazon sites across Pennsylvania.

Talen Amazon PPA Terms: MW Ramp and Undisclosed Price

The revised PPA was announced on June 11, 2025. At full contract quantity, it gives Amazon 1,920 MW of carbon-free power through 2042, with options to extend, Talen said. Deliveries ramp. Utility Dive reported that the contract calls for a range of 840 MW to 1,200 MW for 2029, rising to 1,680 MW to 1,920 MW for 2032; the Talen release read for this story gives only full volume no later than 2032, and says the ramp could accelerate. These are targets, not delivered volumes.

The price was not disclosed. Talen expects about $18 billion of revenue over the contract's life at full quantity, according to Utility Dive's report on Talen's investor presentation. That is the seller's estimate, not a disclosed contract value. Talen said the deal cuts its exposure to market prices and its reliance on the federal nuclear production tax credit.

Two further items are exploration only. Talen and Amazon will look at building small modular reactors (SMRs) in Talen's Pennsylvania footprint and at uprates that would raise Susquehanna's output, with the aim of adding new energy to PJM. No size, cost or schedule has been disclosed for either. On the buyer's side, AWS vice president Kevin Miller tied the supply to Amazon's $20 billion investment in Pennsylvania, which he said would bring 1,250 high-skilled jobs.

Why the Meter Changed

The shift followed FERC's November 2024 rejection of an amended agreement that would have raised co-located load at the plant from 300 MW to 480 MW. Talen says the new structure needs no FERC approval and lets it deliver to other Pennsylvania sites, while the supply now crosses PPL's network. Talen's 10-Q dates the switch to April 2026, for up to 1,920 MW through 2042.

FERC Co-Location Rulings and NRC Licence Dates

The restructuring followed a regulator's refusal. In November 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rejected an amended interconnection agreement that would have allowed larger sales to the co-located campus, which was then served under a 300 MW arrangement, Utility Dive reported. Talen has said the front-of-the-meter structure needs no FERC approval. In June 2025 it expected the switch after transmission work in spring 2026, timed with a Susquehanna refueling outage. The 10-Q confirms the transition, dated April 2026.

FERC's rules for co-located load are still being written. Talen's filing says FERC found in December 2025 that PJM's tariff was unjust and unreasonable on co-located load interconnection, with hearings from February 2026. In June 2026, FERC sent show cause orders to each grid operator, PJM included.

The reactors' licences frame the contract. NRC records show Unit 1's renewed operating licence expires on July 17, 2042, the same year the PPA ends, and Unit 2's on March 23, 2044. In Voltgrid's reading, any extension of the deal past 2042 would need Unit 1 to hold a licence beyond that date, since no source states the contract's end date beyond "through 2042". None of the sources read says whether Talen will seek another renewal.

What the Deal Means for Amazon's Data Centers

Susquehanna is one of two existing-plant deals Amazon has in PJM in the sources read, alongside Calvert Cliffs. On Sept. 30, 2026, Constellation and Amazon announced a 20-year agreement including 690 MW from Calvert Cliffs in Maryland, approximately 190 MW of it from an uprate targeted for 2030 to 2032, with a related retail supply agreement and all output staying on the PJM grid. Both keep output on the PJM grid and pair the supply agreement with a retail supply arrangement. Amazon's new-build bets sit further out, such as the 960 MW Xe-100 study in Indiana it is funding with AEP and X-energy.

The trade-off for Amazon is time against cost. Susquehanna is already running, while the SMR projects Amazon backs still face licensing and construction. The front-of-the-meter model gives up the direct connection of the co-located set-up and puts the supply on PPL's network, where PPL says large-load customers pay significant transmission charges, in return for a structure that Talen says needs no FERC approval and that can serve sites beyond the campus.

What to Watch on the Amazon and Talen Calls

On Oct. 29, Amazon holds its third-quarter call at 2:00 p.m. PT. On Nov. 3, Talen holds its call at 8 a.m. ET. The questions are how many megawatts Amazon is taking under the ramp, whether any uprate at Susquehanna has a size and an NRC filing date, and whether the SMR work has moved past exploration. The next fixed points are Talen's 2029 delivery range and full volume no later than 2032, both targets. Amazon's report is also in Voltgrid's earnings week-ahead calendar.