Meta inks nuclear power deal with Constellation Energy
Meta goes nuclear
The tech giant signed a deal to buy nuclear power from Illinois-based Constellation.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Meta today announced it had signed a 20-year deal to buy nuclear power from Constellation Energy.
Starting in June 2027, the tech giant formerly known as Facebook will buy the entire output of Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy center in Illinois. That facility has a single nuclear reactor that produces about 1.1 gigawatts.
The details of the agreement were not disclosed.
The average American home consumes around 10,600 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. Meta's new agreement will provide the company with enough energy to power around 800,000 homes for a year.
"We are excited to partner with Constallation and the Clinton community to ensure the long-term operations of the nuclear plant, add new capacity, and help preserve over 1,000 jobs. Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions," Urvi Parekh, Meta's head of global energy, said in a press release. "We are proud to help keep the Clinton plant operating for years to come and demonstrate that this plant is an important piece to strengthening American leadership in energy."
The agreement will allow the Constellation facility to continue to operate for another two decades. The plant was in danger of closing when its zero-emissions credit, which the company was issued in 2017, expired, which was set to happen in 2027.
A tech trend
Big picture view:
Meta is just the latest tech company to partner with nuclear power providers to meet its energy needs. Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google both announced last October they had signed deals to buy nuclear power.
Microsoft also struck a deal with Constellation in September, which prompted the energy provider to announce plans to restart the reactor at Three Mile Island — the site of the worst nuclear meltdown in the history of the United States — as part of a 20-year agreement with the tech company.
AWS is participating in a $500 million deal to construct five gigawatts of nuclear power projects by 2039 — enough to power Chicago for a year. The company has also partnered with Energy Northwest to construct a four-unit 320 megawatt facility in Washington, and has struck a deal with Dominion Energy to explore advanced reactor development at North Anna Power Station in Virginia.
Google has partnered with Kairos Power for 500 megawatts of power at multiple reactor sites.
Amazon, Meta and Google have all signed a pledge led by the World Nuclear Association calling for nuclear energy worldwide to triple by 2050.
The national stage
Dig deeper:
The companies aren't alone in the goal of expanding nuclear power.
President Donald Trump in May signed four executive orders intended to accelerate nuclear energy deployment. Trump set a goal of quadrupling U.S. nuclear energy production by 2050 by overhauling the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as well as developing a nuclear supply chain, among other steps.
The Trump Administration has also pushed for faster approvals from nuclear regulators, including for small modular reactors.