TLN, CEG, VST fall after FERC rejects Amazon nuclear data center agreement [Video]

Technology companies’ push to directly power artificial intelligence with nuclear plants hit a major roadblock, after a federal regulator rejected a request to increase power for an Amazon data center.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday rejected a request to increase the amount of power the Susquehanna nuclear plant in Pennsylvania can dispatch to an Amazon data center campus.

Independent power producer Talen Energy in March sold the data center campus to Amazon for $650 million, which would be powered by the nuclear plant in a first-of-its-kind deal.

Talen’s stock fell more than 5% in premarket trading on FERC’s denial order. Constellation Energy and Vistra Corp. tumbled more than 11% and nearly 3%, respectively, in sympathy. Investors were expecting Constellation and Vistra to announce similar deals at some point.

The grid operator PJM Interconnection and the Susquehanna plant, which Talen owns, had filed a request to increase the amount of power dispatched to the Amazon data …