Amazon goes Nuclear in Virginia after Maryland Site Rejected

Montgomery County, Maryland officials expressed disappointment today after a site in Dickerson was rejected by Amazon Web Services for a small modular nuclear reactor, or SMR. AWS, Amazon's subsidiary in cloud computing, is investing more than $500 million in nuclear power in Virginia instead.

"We offered a phenomenal package of incentives to overcome their apprehension, but unfortunately our own Maryland scientists blew up the deal," an irritated County Executive Mark Elrich said.

AWS worries seismic activity in the Dickerson area makes a nuclear reactor risky, Elrich told The Montgonion. According to a January 2023 study published in the journal American Geophysical Investigations, thought-to-be-extinct volcano Sugarloaf Mountain, two miles to the north of downtown Dickerson, is still alive and active.

A steam vent opened on Sugarloaf Mountain in January 2023 following seismic activity.

"Those UMD scientists say it may not erupt for another 100 to 500 years. That's beyond the life expectancy of an SMR," Elrich said.

An SMR is an advanced type of nuclear reactor with a smaller footprint that can be built with fast construction times, allowing them to come online quickly.

AWS officials say Virginia experiences seismic activity too, and other considerations factored into their decision. “Spotsylvania has no zoning issues with the Amazon Modular Prefab 19-Unit Condo we use for team housing,” an AWS spokesperson told The Montgonion.