Meta quits global renewables pledge after backing 10 gas plants to power AI data centers

Meta Exits RE100 After Backing Natural Gas Power Plants

Meta has officially parted ways with RE100, the global corporate initiative whose members commit to using 100% renewable electricity 1

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. The departure marks a significant shift for Meta Platforms, which joined the initiative as Facebook in 2016 and pledged to cover its entire operation with renewable energy by 2020 1

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. The tech giant stated in 2021 that it had reached that target, relying on renewable energy certificates and power purchase agreements rather than direct renewable power 1

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The reason for Meta's exit is clear: the company is now bankrolling a fleet of new gas-fired power plants to fuel its expanding AI data centers 1

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. Recharge first reported the split in an exclusive story on July 23, revealing that Meta no longer met RE100's technical criteria 1

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Surging Power Demands of AI Drive Gas Plant Investments

At Meta's largest data center in Richland Parish, Louisiana, the original power plan called for three new gas plants totaling about 2.26 gigawatts 1

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. In March 2026, utility Entergy Louisiana announced a second agreement that dramatically expanded the scope: Meta will fund seven additional combined-cycle gas plants, totaling more than 5.2 gigawatts 1

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. That takes the Louisiana buildout to 10 gas plants and roughly 7.5 gigawatts of capacity 1

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Meta is also tied to a 200-megawatt behind-the-meter gas project in Ohio announced in June 2025 1

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. These investments underscore how powering data centers and AI infrastructure has become a massive energy consumption challenge. The artificial intelligence boom is forcing Big Tech to rethink its clean-energy commitments, with Meta serving as the most dramatic example 2

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Big Tech's Mixed Response to AI Power Needs

Meta isn't alone in turning to fossil fuels for AI infrastructure. Google has agreed to buy power from a 400-megawatt Illinois gas plant with carbon capture, while Microsoft signed a 20-year deal for a 2.67-gigawatt gas plant at its West Texas data center 1

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. However, Meta's Big Tech rivals Apple, Google, and Microsoft remain on RE100's 444-company roster 1

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The divergence highlights different approaches to balancing AI growth with corporate sustainability pledges. While RE100 requires members to source 100% renewable electricity and report progress toward that goal, the initiative does not prohibit companies from using fossil fuels elsewhere in their operations 2

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Meta's Defense and the Annual Matching Controversy

Meta maintains it still matches 100% of its annual electricity use with clean and renewable energy and has supported more than 30 gigawatts of wind, solar, battery, nuclear, and geothermal projects 1

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. Entergy's Louisiana package also includes Meta funding for up to 2.5 gigawatts of renewables 1

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However, this annual matching approach has drawn criticism. Meta can buy renewable energy certificates or back clean energy elsewhere, but its AI data centers will be using fossil-fuel-generated electricity around the clock 1

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. Supporting new renewables on the grid and on paper doesn't make those gas plants renewable, and they'll run and cause harmful emissions for decades 1

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Meta says gas is necessary where utilities cannot meet its AI power needs, and it's now seeking certificates for lower-methane gas 1

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. The company told TechCrunch it remains committed to matching its data center usage with 100% clean and renewable energy 2

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. News of the exit from RE100 comes after Meta met its 100% renewable energy goals in 2021, a year after its original target date of 2020 2

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What This Means for Tech Industry Climate Commitments

The power crunch fueling the next stages of AI growth is pushing even clean-energy champions toward the fastest available source. There's growing tension across the technology industry: companies that spent years building clean energy strategies are now rethinking their promises 2

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. When AI growth and Meta's pledge collided, the pledge was the goalpost that moved 1

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Industry observers note that renewables can power data centers, because Big Tech is busy commissioning solar farms to do so, including Meta 1

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. The question now is whether other tech companies will follow Meta's path or find ways to scale AI infrastructure while maintaining their renewable energy commitments. With AI's appetite for power showing no signs of slowing, the tech industry faces a critical test of whether corporate sustainability pledges can withstand the demands of next-generation technology.