Meta Secures 20-Year Nuclear Power Deal to Fuel AI Ambitions

Meta buys a nuclear power plant (more or less) | TechCrunch

Meta announced Tuesday morning that it was paying billions of dollars to keep an Illinois nuclear power plant running through 2047. The social media company will buy all the "clean energy attributes" of Constellation Energy's Clinton Clean Energy Center, a 1.1 gigawatt nuclear power plant in central Illinois, starting in June 2027. Electricity will still flow to the local grid, so Meta's purchase won't directly power one of its data centers, though the company does have one about two hours north of Clinton in DeKalb. Rather, the deal is a bit of carbon accounting to lower the company's overall climate impact. It doesn't reduce emissions on the grid, but prevents them from potentially increasing. Neither company disclosed exact financial terms, but the multi-billion-dollar deal will help Constellation relicense the plant and guarantee a customer for the duration of that license extension. Big tech companies -- Meta included -- have become vocal backers of the fission industry recently. Before the recent boom in data center construction, nuclear reactors had faced a grim future as cheap wind, solar, and natural gas undercut their power-generating costs. But the surge in AI and cloud computing has sent tech companies searching for power, which in turn has led to a string of investments in nuclear startups. Meta and Constellation have alluded to the deal as a way to save the nuclear power plant from shutdown, though neither said it was at imminent risk of closure. The power provider initially planned to shut down the Clinton reactor in June 2017 as it faced stiff competition from cheap natural gas, but Illinois legislators stepped in with subsidies that encouraged Constellation to keep the lights on. Those subsidies are set to expire in 2027, and Constellation says the Meta deal will help prevent the closure. But since 2017, Constellation has not threatened to shut down the Clinton power plant. Instead, in 2022, the company said it would apply to extend the reactor's operating license through 2047. TechCrunch has asked Constellation about its plans for the Clinton power plant before the Meta deal materialized, and we'll update this article if we receive a reply. It's likely that the company would have turned to ratepayers, something Constellation hints at in today's press release: The deal with Meta "essentially replaces the ZEC [zero-emission credit] program and ensures long-term operations of the plant without ratepayer support." Meta and its big tech peers have fallen head over heels for nuclear power lately. Meta itself announced earlier this year that it was soliciting proposals for new nuclear power plants that would generate between 1-4 gigawatts of power. Today, the company said it has received over 50 qualified submissions for sites in more than 20 states. With the Meta deal, Constellation has landed another big tech patron for its nuclear fleet. In September, the power provider said that it would restart a reactor at Three Mile Island after Microsoft agreed to buy all the resulting power.

Meta Is Going Nuclear to Fuel Its Energy-Hungry AI Ambitions

Facebook and Instagram parent Meta will soon start drawing on nuclear energy to support its AI efforts. Meta has signed a 20-year contract with power giant Constellation Energy to keep an Illinois nuclear power plant running to power the tech giant's data centers. Nuclear energy from the Clinton Clean Energy Center will be used to support Meta's operations in the region starting in 2027, Meta said in an announcement Tuesday. "As we look toward our future energy needs in advancing AI, we recognize the immense value of nuclear power in providing reliable, firm electricity," Meta said. Generative AI models, like Meta AI, require massive amounts of power to process and analyze data. On Monday, Meta announced that it's developing AI systems that may fully automate ad buying and creation. Meta, which also owns WhatsApp, joins other tech titans that have zeroed in on nuclear projects to power their energy-hungry AI. Last fall, Amazon, Google and Microsoft each announced plans for nuclear projects.

Meta's going to revive an old nuclear power plant

Meta and energy company Constellation announced the deal today, which helps the plant expand its operations while Meta uses it to try to shrink its carbon footprint. It's the latest in a flood of recent partnerships between Big Tech and the nuclear energy industry, and part of a larger strategy Meta has in the works to bring more nuclear reactors online that can power AI data centers. The plant, called the Clinton Clean Energy Center, is in Illinois and was initially slated to close in 2017 "after years of financial losses," according to Constellation. A tax credit that the state established for carbon pollution-free energy allowed the plant to keep running, but only until 2027. Meta is stepping in to provide some financial security beyond that date, although it declined to disclose the amount it's spending on the deal.

Meta's Deal for Nuclear Power Is Likely Cheaper Than Microsoft's, Jefferies Says

Surging demand for power to run artificial intelligence just prompted Meta Platforms Inc. to enter a 20-year contract with the biggest US nuclear operator, penning a deal that's likely to be priced at a cheaper rate than a similar agreement rival Microsoft Corp. entered last year. The parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp will probably be paying about $80 per megawatt hour for energy from the Clinton plant in Illinois, according to Paul Zimbardo, an analyst at Jefferies LLC, who made the forecast based on company guidance.

Constellation, Meta ink deal to keep IL nuclear plant online

The 20-year deal with Constellation will slake Zuckercorp's thirst for energy to power AI datacenters Meta has signed a 20-year deal with Constellation Energy to keep the lights on at an Illinois nuke plant that was facing an uncertain future once state subsidies dry up in 2027. The deal, announced today by both Meta and Constellation, will keep the Clinton Clean Energy Center operating beyond the end of Illinois' zero-emission credit program in 2027, and includes a 30MW uprate that will boost the plant's total capacity to 1,121MW, according to the pair. Unsurprisingly, Meta said the power purchase agreement (PPA) will be used to support its growing AI energy footprint. The company told The Register that it will be applying its new nuclear bona fides to reduce its reported carbon emissions. Constellation said the deal, of which financial details were not provided, may also include additional expansion of the Clinton facility. The energy provider said in its statement that it was "evaluating strategies" to extend an early-site permit or seek a construction permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the installation of an advanced nuclear reactor or small modular reactor (SMR), which are supposed to be cheaper and quicker to build. If Constellation moves ahead, Clinton could become only the second site in the US to host a nuclear reactor built entirely in the 21st century after Plant Vogtle in Georgia. While the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the first SMR nearly three years ago, none are currently under construction. The Clinton plant came online in 1987 and faced early retirement in 2017 due to financial losses, until the passage of Illinois' Future Energy Jobs Act in 2016 extended its operations via a zero-emission credit (ZEC) program. That support runs through July 2027, after which Meta's 20-year power purchase agreement kicks in, securing the plant's clean energy output and replacing state subsidies. Constellation said the PPA will keep the facility online and providing clean energy to the grid "for decades to come." A report commissioned by Constellation and published in March 2025 found that shuttering the Clinton plant would have led to 34 million metric tons of additional carbon pollution over 20 years - equivalent to adding an additional 7.4 million gas-powered cars to the road for one year. Meta doesn't have the best track record of living up to its nuclear ambitions. Case in point, a day after it announced plans to fund between 1 and 4 gigawatts of new nuclear power, Zuckercorp turned around and said it plans to build its biggest-ever datacenter in Louisiana, powered entirely by three purpose-built natural gas turbines. It's not as bad as Google with its multiple deals signed with next-gen nuclear companies who have yet to create a product, but dithering on a nuclear commitment isn't a great look for a company with such an aggressive AI play in motion. Datacenters are widely predicted to be one of the biggest drivers of increased electricity demands in the coming years as the AI revolution continues to pick up speed, with DC energy demands expected to more than double by the end of the decade. That puts US energy grids in a tight spot, and nuclear energy may be the only immediately viable solution that doesn't involve polluting the environment and speeding up the effects of climate change. So partnering with Constellation to put its money where its energy-hungry mouth is makes sense, given that Constellation is the largest nuclear power operator in the US and also partnered with Microsoft last year to reignite the idled Unit 1 reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania - home of the worst commercial nuclear accident on US soil. Meta also said that it's continuing its push to help develop an additional 1 to 4 gigawatts of nuclear energy in the United States and is currently working through a shortlist of new nuclear projects that it could fund in a number of US states. The company said it hopes to finalize deals this year, but declined to comment on specifics of the process or how much power generation it has in its funding hopper. Still, whatever emissions savings Meta books from the Clinton nuclear deal are unlikely to offset the climate hit from its new gas turbines in Louisiana. With a power generation capacity of 2,262 MW, those new facilities - no matter how temporary they may be - generate more than twice the output of the Clinton nuclear plant. ®

Facebook Owner Meta to Buy Nuclear Power From Constellation as AI Demand Soars

Constellation Energy Corp. agreed to sell power from an operating Illinois nuclear plant to Meta Platforms Inc., a deal that could spur construction of a new reactor at the site as artificial intelligence sends power demand soaring. The parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp signed a 20-year contract to buy the output from the Clinton plant starting in mid-2027, when a state subsidy expires, according to a statement Tuesday. Constellation, the biggest US nuclear operator, declined to provide financial details.

Meta's Nuclear Deal Underscores the Looming Gap for AI's Power Needs

Meta Platforms Inc.'s flashy deal this week for nuclear power was just the latest sign of the technology industry's need for more energy -- and fast. And while the top US reactor companies are eager to sign more contracts, the big question remains: Will new generation come online quickly enough? Data-center demand is rapidly disrupting the power grid as tech companies clamor for electricity to run artificial intelligence. That's revealing a fundamental mismatch with the energy industry, which typically requires years or decades to plan and build new power plants. Even with a few recent high-profile nuclear deals, it's becoming clear that the existing fleet of reactors will be unable to meet the surging demands from this first wave of the AI boom.

Meta signs power agreement with Constellation nuclear plant

June 3 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab on Tuesday said it has struck an agreement with Constellation Energy (CEG.O), opens new tab to keep one of the utility's reactors in Illinois operating for 20 years, in the Big Tech company's first such deal with a nuclear power plant. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Big Tech companies are looking to secure electricity as U.S. power demand rises for the first time in two decades on demand from artificial intelligence and data centers. Illinois helps subsidize Constellation's nuclear plant, the Clinton Clean Energy Center, with a ratepayer-funded zero emissions credit program that awards benefits for generation of power virtually free of carbon emissions. That expires in 2027, when Meta's power purchase agreement will support the plant with an unspecified amount of money to help with re-licensing and operations. The deal could serve as a model for other Big Tech companies to support existing nuclear while they also plan to power data centers with new nuclear and other energy sources. KEY QUOTES Urvi Parekh, head of global energy at Meta, said: "One of the things that we hear very acutely from utilities is they want to have certainty that power plants operating today will continue to operate." Joe Dominguez, CEO of Constellation, said: "We're definitely having conversations with other clients, not just in Illinois, but really across the country, to step in and do what Meta has done, which is essentially give us a backstop so that we could make the investments needed to re-license these assets and keep them operating." Bobby Wendell, an official at a unit of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said the agreement will deliver a "stable work environment" for workers at the plant. BY THE NUMBERS The deal also allows Constellation to expand Clinton, which has a capacity of 1,121 megawatts, by 30 MW. The plant powers the equivalent of about 800,000 U.S. homes. Clinton began operating in 1987 and last year Constellation applied with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to renew its license through 2047. Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Leslie Adler Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:Carbon MarketsSustainable MarketsGrid & InfrastructureNuclearClimate Change Timothy Gardner Thomson Reuters Timothy reports on energy and environment policy and is based in Washington, D.C. His coverage ranges from the latest in nuclear power, to environment regulations, to U.S. sanctions and geopolitics. He has been a member of three teams in the past two years that have won Reuters best journalism of the year awards. As a cyclist he is happiest outside.

Meta's nuclear deal signals AI's growing energy needs

Meta's deal to help revive an Illinois nuclear power plant was one way of signaling that the parent company of Facebook and Instagram is preparing for a future built with artificial intelligence. Meta's 20-year deal with Constellation Energy follows similar maneuvers from Amazon, Google and Microsoft, but it will take years before nuclear energy can meet the tech industry's insatiable demand for new sources of electricity. AI uses vast amounts of energy, much of which comes from burning fossil fuels, which causes climate change. The unexpected popularity of generative AI products over the past few years has disrupted many tech companies' carefully laid plans to supply their technology with energy sources that don't contribute to climate change. Even as Meta anticipates more nuclear in the future, its more immediate plans rely on natural gas. Entergy, one of the nation's largest utility providers, has been fast-tracking plans to build gas-fired power plants in Louisiana to prepare for a massive Meta data center complex. Is the U.S. ready for nuclear-powered AI? France has touted its ample nuclear power -- which produces about 75% of the nation's electricity, the highest level in the world -- as a key element in its pitch to be an AI leader. Hosting an AI summit in Paris earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron cited President Donald Trump's "drill baby drill" slogan and offered another: "Here there's no need to drill, it's just plug baby plug." In the U.S., however, most of the electricity consumed by data centers relies on fossil fuels -- burning natural gas and sometimes coal -- according to an April report from the International Energy Agency. As AI demand rises, the main source of new supply over the coming years is expected to be from gas-fired plants, a cheap and reliable source of power but one that produces planet-warming emissions. Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind account for about 24% of data center power in the U.S., while nuclear comprises about 15%, according to the IEA. It will take years before enough climate-friendlier power sources, including nuclear, could start slowing the expansion of fossil fuel power generation. A report released by the U.S. Department of Energy late last year estimated that the electricity needed for data centers in the U.S. tripled over the past decade and is projected to double or triple again by 2028 when it could consume up to 12% of the nation's electricity. Why does AI need so much energy? It takes a lot of computing power to make an AI chatbot and the systems they're built on, such as Meta's Llama. It starts with a process called training or pretraining -- the "P" in ChatGPT -- that involves AI systems "learning" from the patterns of huge troves of data. To do that, they need specialized computer chips -- usually graphics processors, or GPUs -- that can run many calculations at a time on a network of devices in communication with each other. Once trained, a generative AI tool still needs electricity to do the work, such as when you ask a chatbot to compose a document or generate an image. That process is called inferencing. A trained AI model must take in new information and make inferences from what it already knows to produce a response. All of that computing takes a lot of electricity and generates a lot of heat. To keep it cool enough to work properly, data centers need air conditioning. That can require even more electricity, so most data center operators look for other cooling techniques that usually involve pumping in water.

Meta signs multi-decade nuclear energy deal to power its AI data centers

The partnership with Constellation energy provides long-term security for an existing plant in southern Illinois. Meta has signed a 20-year agreement with Constellation Energy that will allow it to purchase nuclear power supplied by the Clinton Clean Energy Center in southern Illinois. To help fuel its AI ambitions, Meta said in a that it is prioritizing 100 percent clean, renewable energy for its data centers and recognizes the "immense value of nuclear power in providing reliable, firm electricity." Rather than building a new nuclear plant, Meta says its deal with Constellation for its existing Clinton center will ensure the plant can remain in operation long-term, preserving over 1,000 local jobs. The deal, the first of its kind for Meta, commences in 2027, and will see Facebook's parent company buy in full the approximately 1.1 gigawatts of emissions-free nuclear energy currently being generated at the site. Meta also committed to expanding the grid by an additional 30 megawatts. The exact financial details of the landmark agreement are not detailed in the statement. Meta has been behind the curve on nuclear, with big tech rivals and already buying up significant capacity. In December last year, confirmed its ambition to add between one and gour gigawatts of nuclear energy capacity to its US data centers by the early 2030s, so the Constellation agreement is something of a headstart for Mark Zuckerberg's company. Meta did actually plan to build a nuclear-powered data center of its own, but was reportedly when a rare bee species was discovered on the land it had earmarked for the project. According to the , Zuckerberg told staff at the time that Meta would have had the first nuclear energy AI if the bee-related pivot hadn't been necessary.

Meta signs nuclear power deal with Constellation Energy

A cyclist rides past the Meta sign outside the headquarters of Facebook parent company Meta Platforms in Mountain View, California, on Nov. 9, 2022. Meta has signed a 20-year agreement to buy nuclear power from Constellation Energy, continuing the wave of tech giants teaming up with the industry in order to meet the growing power needs of data centers. Beginning in June 2027, Meta will buy roughly 1.1 gigawatts of energy from Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois, which is the entire output from the site's one nuclear reactor. The companies said the long-term agreement will support the continuing operation of the plant, as well as its relicensing. Without the commitment from Meta, the plant was in danger of closing when its zero-emission credit, which it's relied on since 2017, expired. "We are proud to partner with Meta. ... They figured out that supporting the relicensing and expansion of existing plants is just as impactful as finding new sources of energy," said Joe Dominguez, Constellation's president and CEO. "Sometimes the most important part of our journey forward is to stop taking steps backwards." Terms of the deal, which will also expand Clinton's output by 30 megawatts, were not disclosed. The plant will not power Meta's data centers directly - instead it will continue to provide power to the regional grid, while contributing to the tech giant's goal of 100% clean electricity. Tuesday's announcement is the latest in a slew of deals between big tech and the nuclear industry. In September, Constellation said it would restart Three Mile Island - the site of the worst nuclear meltdown in U.S. history - and sell the power to Microsoft under a 20-year agreement. Google recently pledged to fund the development of three new nuclear sites, after last year teaming up with small modular reactor developer Kairos Power. Amazon invested more than $500 million to develop SMRs in October, and bought a data center campus powered by the Susquehanna nuclear plant in March 2024. Tech giants, including Amazon, Google and Meta, signed a pledge in March led by the World Nuclear Association calling for nuclear energy worldwide to triple by 2050. Still, the deal with Constellation marks Meta's first official foray into nuclear. In December, the company put out a request for proposals to find nuclear energy developers to partner with, saying they wanted to add between one and four gigawatts of new nuclear generation in the U.S. That proposal, which is focused on advanced nuclear, remains in progress, and stands apart from the company's backing of the Clinton facility. "Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions," said Urvi Parekh, head of global energy at Meta. "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." President Donald Trump recently signed four executive orders aimed at speeding nuclear deployment, setting a target of quadrupling U.S. nuclear energy by 2050. The executive orders call for, among other things, an overhaul of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as well as building out a domestic supply chain for nuclear fuel. The White House has also called for faster regulatory approval for reactors - including small modular reactors. In the past, nuclear projects have been plagued by high upfront costs and long construction timelines. The industry is hoping that SMRs can be a more cost-effective way to scale up nuclear power. At present, there are no operational SMRs in the U.S. Constellation said Tuesday that it is considering seeking a new permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to possibly build a small modular reactor at the Clinton site.

Meta becomes the latest big tech company turning to nuclear power for its AI needs

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Meta has cut a 20-year deal to secure nuclear power to help meet surging demand for artificial intelligence and other computing needs at Facebook's parent company. The investment with Meta will also expand the output of a Constellation Energy Illinois nuclear plant. The agreement announced Tuesday is just the latest in a string of tech-nuclear partnerships as the use of AI expands. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center was actually slated to close in 2017 after years of financial losses but was saved by legislation in Illinois establishing a zero-emission credit program to support the plant into 2027. The Meta-Constellation deal takes effect in June of 2027, when the state's taxpayer funded zero-emission credit program expires. With the arrival of Meta, Clinton's clean energy output will expand by 30 megawatts, preserve 1,100 local jobs and bring in $13.5 million in annual tax revenue, according to the companies. "Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions," said Urvi Parekh, Meta's head of global energy. Constellation, the owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, said in September that it planned to restart the reactor so tech giant Microsoft could secure power to supply its data centers. Three Mile Island, located on the Susquehanna River just outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was the site of the nation's worst commercial nuclear power accident in 1979. Also last fall, Amazon said it was investing in small nuclear reactors, two days after a similar announcement by Google. Additionally, Google announced last month that it was investing in three advanced nuclear energy projects with Elementl Power. U.S. states have been positioning themselves to meet the tech industry's power needs as policymakers consider expanding subsidies and gutting regulatory obstacles. Last year, 25 states passed legislation to support advanced nuclear energy, and lawmakers this year have introduced over 200 bills supportive of nuclear energy, according to the trade association Nuclear Energy Institute. Advanced reactor designs from competing firms are filling up the federal government's regulatory pipeline as the industry touts them as a reliable, climate-friendly way to meet electricity demands from tech giants desperate to power their fast-growing artificial intelligence platforms. Amazon, Google and Microsoft also have been investing in solar and wind technologies, which make electricity without producing greenhouse gas emissions.

Meta signs 20-year nuclear deal to power AI and save Illinois plant

Meta has signed a 20-year agreement with Constellation Energy to secure nuclear power from the Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois. The deal ensures continued operation of the plant beyond 2027, when Illinois' zero-emissions credit program expires. It also marks Meta's first long-term nuclear power purchase, as it moves to meet surging electricity demand from AI and data centers. The agreement is part of Meta's broader push to match its electricity use with 100 percent clean energy and invest in emerging technologies. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Meta signs agreement with nuclear plant to power AI and datacenters for 20 years

Meta on Tuesday said it had struck an agreement to keep one nuclear reactor of a US utility company in Illinois operating for 20 years. Meta's deal with Constellation Energy is the social networking company's first with a nuclear power plant. Other large tech companies are looking to secure electricity as US power demand rises significantly in part due to the needs of artificial intelligence and datacenters. Google has reached agreements to supply its datacenters with nuclear power via a half-dozen small reactors built by a California utility company. Microsoft's similar contract will restart the Three Mile Island nuclear plant, the site of the most serious nuclear accident and radiation leak in US history. Illinois helps subsidize Constellation Energy's nuclear plant, the Clinton Clean Energy Center, with a ratepayer-funded zero-emissions credit program that awards benefits for the generation of power virtually free of carbon emissions. That expires in 2027, when Meta's power purchase agreement will support the plant with an unspecified amount of money to help with relicensing and operations. The deal allows Constellation to expand Clinton, which has a capacity of 1,121 megawatts, by 30MW. The plant powers the equivalent of about 800,000 US homes. Clinton began operating in 1987 and last year Constellation applied with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to renew its license through 2047. The deal could serve as a model for other big tech companies to support existing nuclear while they also plan to power datacenters with new nuclear and other energy sources. Urvi Parekh, head of global energy at Meta, said: "One of the things that we hear very acutely from utilities is they want to have certainty that power plants operating today will continue to operate." Joe Dominguez, CEO of Constellation, said, "We're definitely having conversations with other clients, not just in Illinois, but really across the country, to step in and do what Meta has done, which is essentially give us a backstop so that we could make the investments needed to relicense these assets and keep them operating." Bobby Wendell, an official at a unit of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said the agreement will deliver a "stable work environment" for workers at the plant.

Meta goes nuclear to power AI with clean electrons

Why it matters: It's a big addition to a hot power trend -- big tech looking to reactors big and small to meet AI's electricity thirst with zero-carbon energy. Driving the news: The companies announced a 20-year power purchase agreement for the 1.1-gigawatt Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois. How it works: The power will keep feeding the regional grid, but Meta's financing helps enable the plant's relicensing and extended operations. State of play: Meta and Constellation didn't provide cost details beyond noting it's a multi-billion dollar proposition. Catch up quick: Clinton had been slated for early closure in 2017, but state legislation created an emissions credit program that brought a decade's worth of support. The big picture: Joe Dominguez, Constellation's CEO, said Meta agrees that "supporting the relicensing and expansion of existing plants is just as impactful as finding new sources of energy." What we're watching: The growing mix of big tech deals to support new reactors of various sorts, including small modular tech, though they're typically early stage and aspirational. The bottom line: The planned extension in Illinois is among the most tangible big tech-nuclear tie-ups yet.

Meta basically just bought a nuclear power plant

Facility will provide 1,121 megawatts of "emissions-free nuclear energy" Meta has revealed a deal to prop up a nuclear power plant over the next 20 years in what it says is a bid to power the continued demand for AI. The Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois, owned by Constellation Energy, was due to be mothballed in 2027, but will now stay open thanks to Meta's support. The 20-year deal will see the facility provide 1,121 megawatts of "emissions-free nuclear energy", with additional incremental capacity of 30MW if needed. The deal will mark only the second US site to host a nuclear reactor built entirely this century, following Plant Vogtle, built in 2023 near Waynesboro, Georgia. "As we have embarked on understanding and helping to grow nuclear energy in the U.S., we have heard from across the ecosystem that existing nuclear power plants will not be able to stay online indefinitely without partners and investments that help extend existing operating licenses and increase generation capacity," Meta said in a statement. "It's clear that there are many nuclear power plants serving the U.S. that need long-term support to help our electricity grids remain reliable as energy needs grow." "Keeping an existing plant operating will have the same positive effect as adding new clean energy to the grid, and avoid the disruption that has occurred when other nuclear units have retired prematurely." Built in 1987, Meta says the Clinton Clean Energy Center support will also preserve over 1,100 local jobs and contributes $13.5 million annually in tax revenue. The plant had been facing closure as long ago as 2017 due to financial pressure, but Illinois passed its Future Energy Jobs Act in 2016, which extended its operations via a zero-emission credit (ZEC) program. This was due to expire in 2027, but Meta's support should now see it operate long past this. "We are proud to partner with Meta because they asked that important question, and even better, they figured out that supporting the relicensing and expansion of existing plants is just as impactful as finding new sources of energy," noted said Joe Dominguez, president and CEO, Constellation. "Sometimes the most important part of our journey forward is to stop taking steps backwards." A March 2025 report commissioned by the firm and carried out by The Brattle Group claimed shuttering the Clinton plant would have led to 34 million metric tons of additional carbon pollution over 20 years - the equivalent of an additional 7.4 million gas-powered cars coming onto the road for one year - as well causing as Illinois' GDP to drop by $765 million annually.

Meta makes a 20-year nuclear deal with Constellation Energy in AI power play

Meta said the deal, set to begin in 2027, will supply 1,121 megawatts of electricity, preserve more than 1,100 local jobs, and inject $13.5 million annually into the local economy, without requiring state subsidies. "We are proud to partner with Meta because they asked that important question, and even better, they figured out that supporting the relicensing and expansion of existing plants is just as impactful as finding new sources of energy," Joe Dominguez, president and CEO, Constellation, said in a press release. "Sometimes the most important part of our journey forward is to stop taking steps backwards." Urvi Parekh, Head of Global Energy at Meta, said the company is excited "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." Constellation Energy stock was up about 6% at 9:55 a.m. Tuesday following news of the deal. Meta's stock was largely unchanged. This agreement comes as part of Meta and big tech's broader strategy to power their increasingly energy-intensive AI data centers with renewable energy. Nuclear provides reliable, "firm" power, divorced from seasons and weather patterns that affect solar and wind. Amazon (AMZN), Google (GOOGL), and Microsoft (MSFT) have all also made serious investments in nuclear. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said Tuesday it's also continuing to search for new locations for the development of future nuclear power plants, noting it "has selected a shortlist of new nuclear projects across multiple U.S. states that represent some of the most feasible opportunities."

Meta becomes the latest big tech company turning to nuclear power for AI needs

Meta has cut a 20-year deal to secure nuclear power to help meet surging demand for artificial intelligence and other computing needs at Facebook's parent company. The investment with Meta will also expand the output of a Constellation Energy Illinois nuclear plant. The agreement announced Tuesday is just the latest in a string of tech-nuclear partnerships as the use of AI expands. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center was actually slated to close in 2017 after years of financial losses but was saved by legislation in Illinois establishing a zero-emission credit program to support the plant into 2027. The agreement deal takes effect in June of 2027, when the state's taxpayer funded zero-emission credit program expires. With the arrival of Meta, Clinton's clean energy output will expand by 30 megawatts, preserve 1,100 local jobs and bring in $13.5 million in annual tax revenue, according to the companies. "Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions," said Urvi Parekh, Meta's head of global energy. Surging investments in small nuclear reactors comes at a time when large tech companies are facing two major demands: a need to increase their energy supply for AI and data centers, among other needs, while also trying to meet their long-term goals to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions. Those emissions are generated, in large part, from the burning of fossil fuels like gasoline, oil and coal. Nuclear energy, while producing waste, does not emit carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. Constellation, the owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, said in September that it planned to restart the reactor so tech giant Microsoft could secure power to supply its data centers. Three Mile Island, located on the Susquehanna River just outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was the site of the nation's worst commercial nuclear power accident in 1979. Also last fall, Amazon said it was investing in small nuclear reactors, two days after a similar announcement by Google. Additionally, Google announced last month that it was investing in three advanced nuclear energy projects with Elementl Power. U.S. states have been positioning themselves to meet the tech industry's power needs as policymakers consider expanding subsidies and gutting regulatory obstacles. Last year, 25 states passed legislation to support advanced nuclear energy, and lawmakers this year have introduced over 200 bills supportive of nuclear energy, according to the trade association Nuclear Energy Institute. Advanced reactor designs from competing firms are filling up the federal government's regulatory pipeline as the industry touts them as a reliable, climate-friendly way to meet electricity demands from tech giants desperate to power their fast-growing artificial intelligence platforms. Amazon, Google and Microsoft also have been investing in solar and wind technologies, which make electricity without producing greenhouse gas emissions. Shares of Constellation Energy Corp., based in Baltimore, were flat Tuesday. © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Mark Zuckerberg saves nuclear plant from closure with 20-year power deal

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta has saved a nuclear plant from closure as the Facebook-owner races to secure more power to fuel its artificial intelligence (AI) ambitions. The technology giant has signed a deal with US nuclear operator Constellation Energy to buy energy from its Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois for 20 years. Starting in June 2027, Meta will buy 1.1 gigawatts (GW) of energy from Constellation's plant, roughly the whole capacity of a single reactor at the site. It brings an end to uncertainty over the future of the nuclear site. Without the deal, the plant had been at risk of shutting down permanently, with a taxpayer-backed subsidy scheme that had kept the plant operating due to expire in 2027. Constellation said the deal with Meta would preserve 1,100 local jobs while the plant would continue to provide energy for 800,000 homes. The tie-up is the first major nuclear deal for Mr Zuckerberg's social media empire, which has been hunting for clean energy capacity to power its growing fleet of AI data centres.

Meta and Constellation sign 20-year nuclear power deal in Illinois to power AI

Meta has cut a 20-year deal to secure nuclear power to help meet surging demand for artificial intelligence and other computing needs at Facebook's parent company. The investment with Meta will also expand the output of a Constellation Energy Illinois nuclear plant. The agreement announced Tuesday is just the latest in a string of tech-nuclear partnerships as the use of AI expands. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center was actually slated to close in 2017 after years of financial losses but was saved by legislation in Illinois establishing a zero-emission credit program to support the plant into 2027. The agreement deal takes effect in June of 2027, when the state's taxpayer funded zero-emission credit program expires. With the arrival of Meta, Clinton's clean energy output will expand by 30 megawatts, preserve 1,100 local jobs and bring in $13.5 million in annual tax revenue, according to the companies. The plant currently powers the equivalent of about 800,000 U.S. homes. George Gross, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois. estimates that 30 additional megawatts would be enough to power a city with about 30,00 residents for one year. "Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions," said Urvi Parekh, Meta's head of global energy. Surging investments in small nuclear reactors comes at a time when large tech companies are facing two major demands: a need to increase their energy supply for AI and data centers, among other needs, while also trying to meet their long-term goals to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions. Constellation, the owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, said in September that it planned to restart the reactor so tech giant Microsoft could secure power to supply its data centers. Three Mile Island, located on the Susquehanna River just outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was the site of the nation's worst commercial nuclear power accident in 1979. Also last fall, Amazon said it was investing in small nuclear reactors, two days after a similar announcement by Google. Additionally, Google announced last month that it was investing in three advanced nuclear energy projects with Elementl Power. U.S. states have been positioning themselves to meet the tech industry's power needs as policymakers consider expanding subsidies and gutting regulatory obstacles. Last year, 25 states passed legislation to support advanced nuclear energy, and lawmakers this year have introduced over 200 bills supportive of nuclear energy, according to the trade association Nuclear Energy Institute. Advanced reactor designs from competing firms are filling up the federal government's regulatory pipeline as the industry touts them as a reliable, climate-friendly way to meet electricity demands from tech giants desperate to power their fast-growing artificial intelligence platforms. Still, it's unlikely the U.S. could quadruple its nuclear production within the next 25 years, like the White House wants. The United States lacks any next-generation reactors operating commercially and only two new large reactors have been built from scratch in nearly 50 years. Those two reactors, at a nuclear plant in Georgia, were completed years late and at least $17 billion over budget. Additionally, Gross recommends that the U.S. invest more in the transmission grid that moves that power around. "That's my biggest concern," Gross said, adding that spending on the grid has actually fallen off in recent years, despite the voracious demand for energy. Amazon, Google and Microsoft also have been investing in solar and wind technologies, which make electricity without producing greenhouse gas emissions. Shares of Constellation Energy Corp., based in Baltimore, were flat Tuesday. France has touted its ample nuclear power -- which produces about 75% of the nation's electricity, the highest level in the world -- as a key element in its pitch to be an AI leader. Hosting an AI summit in Paris earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron cited President Donald Trump's "drill baby drill" slogan and offered another: "Here there's no need to drill, it's just plug baby plug." In the U.S., however, most of the electricity consumed by data centers relies on fossil fuels -- burning natural gas and sometimes coal -- according to an April report from the International Energy Agency. As AI demand rises, the main source of new supply over the coming years is expected to be from gas-fired plants, a cheap and reliable source of power but one that produces planet-warming emissions. Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind account for about 24% of data center power in the U.S., while nuclear comprises about 15%, according to the IEA. It will take years before enough climate-friendlier power sources, including nuclear, could start slowing the expansion of fossil fuel power generation. A report released by the U.S. Department of Energy late last year estimated that the electricity needed for data centers in the U.S. tripled over the past decade and is projected to double or triple again by 2028 when it could consume up to 12% of the nation's electricity. It takes a lot of computing power to make an AI chatbot and the systems they're built on, such as Meta's Llama. It starts with a process called training or pretraining -- the "P" in ChatGPT -- that involves AI systems "learning" from the patterns of huge troves of data. To do that, they need specialized computer chips -- usually graphics processors, or GPUs -- that can run many calculations at a time on a network of devices in communication with each other. Once trained, a generative AI tool still needs electricity to do the work, such as when you ask a chatbot to compose a document or generate an image. That process is called inferencing. A trained AI model must take in new information and make inferences from what it already knows to produce a response. All of that computing takes a lot of electricity and generates a lot of heat. To keep it cool enough to work properly, data centers need air conditioning. That can require even more electricity, so most data center operators look for other cooling techniques that usually involve pumping in water.

Meta becomes latest tech giant to go nuclear to power AI ambitions

Meta is the latest tech giant to strike a deal with a US energy corporation to power its next-generation artificial intelligence (AI). Meta has signed a 20-year nuclear power deal to meet the surging power demand for its artificial intelligence (AI) needs. Meta's joint investment with Constellation Energy will also expand the output of a nuclear plant in the state of Illinois in the US by 30 megawatts, preserve 1,100 local jobs, and bring in $13.5 million (€11.8 million) in annual tax revenue, according to the companies. The plant currently powers the equivalent of about 800,000 US homes. The deal will come into effect in 2027, after the lapse of a zero-emission credit programme keeping the Illinois plant afloat that is set to expire that year. "Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions," said Urvi Parekh, Meta's head of global energy. Big Tech turning to nuclear The agreement announced on Tuesday is just the latest in a string of tech-nuclear partnerships as the use of AI expands. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. Surging investments in small nuclear reactors comes at a time when large tech companies are facing two major demands: a need to increase their energy supply for AI and data centers, among other needs, while also trying to meet their long-term goals to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions. Last autumn, Amazon said it was investing in small nuclear reactors, two days after a similar announcement by Google. Additionally, Google announced last month that it was investing in three advanced nuclear energy projects with Elementl Power. Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have also been investing in solar and wind technologies, which make electricity without producing greenhouse gas emissions.

Meta inks 20-year nuclear power deal with Constellation Energy - SiliconANGLE

Meta inks 20-year nuclear power deal with Constellation Energy Meta Platforms Inc. has signed a 20-year deal to buy nuclear power from Constellation Energy Corp., the largest producer of carbon-free electricity in the U.S. The companies announced the agreement today. Constellation won a similar 20-year contract from Microsoft Corp. last September. Under that deal, the utility will reopen a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania that was shut down a few years ago for economic reasons. Once renovations are complete, the facility is expected to produce 835 megawatts of power for Microsoft data centers. Constellation's deal with Meta is larger in scope. The Facebook parent will purchase 1,121 megawatts of nuclear energy, which corresponds to the electricity use of 1 million average American homes. The electricity will be produced at the Clinton Clean Energy Center (pictured,) a nuclear power plant in southern Illinois. "Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions," said Urvi Parekh, Meta's head of global energy. Meta didn't disclose how much the contract is worth. The Clinton Clean Energy Center was built in the 1980s at a cost of $4.25 billion, or more than $11 billion when adjusted for inflation. The contract with Meta will require Constellation to extend the facility's operating license, which was issued in 1987 and is currently set to expire next year. The companies' energy procurement agreement is expected to preserve more than 1,100 local jobs. As part of the deal, Constellation plans to boost the Clinton Clean Energy Center's power output by 30 megawatts. The utility also intends to "explore further nuclear development at the site," which hints that the facility's power generation capacity could be further expanded down the line. It's expected to start supplying power for Meta data centers in 2027. The deal comes a few months after the Facebook parent detailed a separate investment in nuclear energy. As part of the latter initiative, Meta hopes to add between 1 and 4 gigawatts of energy to the grid starting in the early 2030s. The company disclosed today that it has shortlisted a set of proposed nuclear power projects across multiple U.S. states. Meta's nuclear power purchases will help support the growing energy requirements of its data centers. Last December, the company disclosed plans to bring 1 gigawatt worth of compute capacity online in 2025. It expects to end the year with more than 1.3 million graphics processing units across its data center network.

Powering AI: Here's what to know about Meta's new nuclear deal with Constellation Energy

Meta has signed a 20-year deal with Constellation Energy to keep open its Clinton Clean Energy Center nuclear facility in Illinois, a move that will help feed the tech giant's enormous power needs in the artificial intelligence era. The deal takes effect June 2027, right as Illinois's Zero-Emission Credit Program (ZEC) expires and the energy center loses its ratepayer-funded financial assistance for being a carbon-free facility. By keeping the plant in operation until at least 2047, the center will directly provide power to the local grid and support Meta's clean energy goals of matching its energy use with solely renewable energy. "This deal will expand Clinton's clean energy output by 30 megawatts through plant uprates; preserve 1,100 high-paying local jobs; deliver $13.5 million in annual tax revenue; and add $1 million in charitable giving to local nonprofits over five years," Joseph Dominguez, president and CEO of Constellation, said in a statement.

Meta's nuclear deal signals AI's growing energy needs

Meta's deal to help revive an Illinois nuclear power plant was one way of signaling that the parent company of Facebook and Instagram is preparing for a future built with artificial intelligence. Meta's 20-year deal with Constellation Energy follows similar maneuvers from Amazon, Google and Microsoft, but it will take years before nuclear energy can meet the tech industry's insatiable demand for new sources of electricity. AI uses vast amounts of energy, much of which comes from burning fossil fuels, which causes climate change. The unexpected popularity of generative AI products over the past few years has disrupted many tech companies' carefully laid plans to supply their technology with energy sources that don't contribute to climate change. Even as Meta anticipates more nuclear in the future, its more immediate plans rely on natural gas. Entergy, one of the nation's largest utility providers, has been fast-tracking plans to build gas-fired power plants in Louisiana to prepare for a massive Meta data center complex. Is the U.S. ready for nuclear-powered AI? France has touted its ample nuclear power -- which produces about 75% of the nation's electricity, the highest level in the world -- as a key element in its pitch to be an AI leader. Hosting an AI summit in Paris earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron cited President Donald Trump's "drill baby drill" slogan and offered another: "Here there's no need to drill, it's just plug baby plug." In the U.S., however, most of the electricity consumed by data centers relies on fossil fuels -- burning natural gas and sometimes coal -- according to an April report from the International Energy Agency. As AI demand rises, the main source of new supply over the coming years is expected to be from gas-fired plants, a cheap and reliable source of power but one that produces planet-warming emissions. Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind account for about 24% of data center power in the U.S., while nuclear comprises about 15%, according to the IEA. It will take years before enough climate-friendlier power sources, including nuclear, could start slowing the expansion of fossil fuel power generation. A report released by the U.S. Department of Energy late last year estimated that the electricity needed for data centers in the U.S. tripled over the past decade and is projected to double or triple again by 2028 when it could consume up to 12% of the nation's electricity. Why does AI need so much energy? It takes a lot of computing power to make an AI chatbot and the systems they're built on, such as Meta's Llama. It starts with a process called training or pretraining -- the "P" in ChatGPT -- that involves AI systems "learning" from the patterns of huge troves of data. To do that, they need specialized computer chips -- usually graphics processors, or GPUs -- that can run many calculations at a time on a network of devices in communication with each other. Once trained, a generative AI tool still needs electricity to do the work, such as when you ask a chatbot to compose a document or generate an image. That process is called inferencing. A trained AI model must take in new information and make inferences from what it already knows to produce a response. All of that computing takes a lot of electricity and generates a lot of heat. To keep it cool enough to work properly, data centers need air conditioning. That can require even more electricity, so most data center operators look for other cooling techniques that usually involve pumping in water.

Meta signs 20-year nuclear energy deal to power AI

Meta has inked a deal to keep an Illinois nuclear power plant running for the next 20 years so it can power its artificial intelligence and data center ambitions. The deal sees the tech giant purchasing 1.1 gigawatts of power from nuclear power provider Constellation from its Clinton Clean Energy Center in southern Illinois starting in 2027, Meta said on June 3. "As we look toward our future energy needs in advancing AI, we recognize the immense value of nuclear power in providing reliable, firm electricity," Meta added. Meta, like other tech giants, is heavily leaning into AI amid the continuing hype around the tech and has embedded its own AI models into its flagship social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram. It also plans to fully automate ad creation on those platforms by the end of 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported on June 2. Currently, AI technology requires vast amounts of energy that is in high demand. The International Energy Agency reported in April that the power demands of AI data centers are projected to more than double by 2030 to eat up "slightly more than the entire electricity consumption of Japan today." Meta said the agreement ensures a "critical plant will stay online" and meet growing energy needs while adding 30 megawatts of incremental capacity to the grid. Meta added that its partnership with Constellation would preserve over 1,100 jobs and contribute $13.5 million annually in tax revenue without tapping into the state's Zero Emission Credit program -- maintaining operations without additional ratepayer support. Several Illinois lawmakers were pleased to hear about the deal, including Republican Regan Deering, who said it was a "forward-thinking investment" that would boost the local economy. The Clinton nuclear facility was set to close in 2017 after several years of financial losses despite being one of the best-performing nuclear plants in the state, Constellation noted in its June 3 statement. However, it was saved by the enactment of Illinois' Future Energy Jobs Act, which established the Zero Emission Credit program to support the plant through to mid-2027. Constellation's agreement with Meta means that the Clinton plant can operate without taxpayer support. Related: Google's nuclear power plan could revolutionize cryptocurrency mining An analysis from consulting firm Brattle Group in March found that shuttering Clinton would raise emissions by more than 34 million metric tons of carbon over 20 years -- equivalent to putting around 7.4 million gasoline-powered cars on the road for a year. Brattle also estimated that Illinois' gross domestic product would drop $765 million annually if the Clinton facility were to cease operations. Meta said it is also making progress on requests for proposals to identify other nuclear energy operators to help the firm meet its AI innovation and sustainability goals.

Why Meta just bet big on nuclear

Meta announced on June 3 a 20-year agreement with Constellation to purchase 1.1 gigawatts of power from the Clinton Clean Energy Center in southern Illinois, aiming to support Meta's AI and data center operations beginning in 2027. Meta stated the agreement acknowledges "the immense value of nuclear power in providing reliable, firm electricity" for advancing AI. The company, like other tech entities, is investing heavily in AI, integrating models into platforms like Facebook and Instagram, and planning to fully automate ad creation by the end of 2025, according to The Wall Street Journal. The International Energy Agency reported in April that the electricity demands of AI data centers are projected to more than double by 2030, potentially exceeding the current electricity consumption of Japan. Meta said the agreement ensures a "critical plant will stay online," meeting growing energy demands while adding 30 megawatts of incremental capacity to the grid. Meta also noted its partnership with Constellation will preserve over 1,100 jobs and contribute $13.5 million in annual tax revenue without utilizing the state's Zero Emission Credit program. According to Constellation's June 3 statement, the Clinton nuclear facility almost closed in 2017 after several years of financial losses, despite its operational performance. The plant was sustained through the enactment of Illinois' Future Energy Jobs Act, which established the Zero Emission Credit program to support the facility until mid-2027. Constellation's agreement with Meta allows the Clinton plant to operate without taxpayer support. 5 energy stocks that could skyrocket as AI data centers go nuclear Republican Regan Deering, among other Illinois lawmakers, welcomed the deal, calling it a "forward-thinking investment" that would boost the local economy. A March analysis by the Brattle Group determined that closing Clinton would increase emissions by over 34 million metric tons of carbon over 20 years. This is equivalent to adding approximately 7.4 million gasoline-powered cars to the road for a year. Brattle also estimated a potential $765 million annual reduction in Illinois' gross domestic product should the Clinton facility cease operations. Meta is also reportedly engaged in identifying additional nuclear energy operators to meet its innovation and sustainability goals, stating, "[We] are in final discussions with a shortlist of potential projects to meet our 1-4 gigawatt target," following the initiative's announcement last December.

Meta becomes the latest big tech company turning to nuclear power for AI needs

WASHINGTON -- Meta has cut a 20-year deal to secure nuclear power to help meet surging demand for artificial intelligence and other computing needs at Facebook's parent company. The investment with Meta will also expand the output of a Constellation Energy Illinois nuclear plant. The agreement announced Tuesday is just the latest in a string of tech-nuclear partnerships as the use of AI expands. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center was actually slated to close in 2017 after years of financial losses but was saved by legislation in Illinois establishing a zero-emission credit program to support the plant into 2027. The agreement deal takes effect in June of 2027, when the state's taxpayer funded zero-emission credit program expires. With the arrival of Meta, Clinton's clean energy output will expand by 30 megawatts, preserve 1,100 local jobs and bring in $13.5 million in annual tax revenue, according to the companies. The plant currently powers the equivalent of about 800,000 U.S. homes. "Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions," said Urvi Parekh, Meta's head of global energy. Surging investments in small nuclear reactors comes at a time when large tech companies are facing two major demands: a need to increase their energy supply for AI and data centers, among other needs, while also trying to meet their long-term goals to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions. Constellation, the owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, said in September that it planned to restart the reactor so tech giant Microsoft could secure power to supply its data centers. Three Mile Island, located on the Susquehanna River just outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was the site of the nation's worst commercial nuclear power accident in 1979. Also last fall, Amazon said it was investing in small nuclear reactors, two days after a similar announcement by Google. Additionally, Google announced last month that it was investing in three advanced nuclear energy projects with Elementl Power. U.S. states have been positioning themselves to meet the tech industry's power needs as policymakers consider expanding subsidies and gutting regulatory obstacles. Last year, 25 states passed legislation to support advanced nuclear energy, and lawmakers this year have introduced over 200 bills supportive of nuclear energy, according to the trade association Nuclear Energy Institute. Advanced reactor designs from competing firms are filling up the federal government's regulatory pipeline as the industry touts them as a reliable, climate-friendly way to meet electricity demands from tech giants desperate to power their fast-growing artificial intelligence platforms. Still, it's unlikely the U.S. could quadruple its nuclear production within the next 25 years, like the White House wants. The United States lacks any next-generation reactors operating commercially and only two new large reactors have been built from scratch in nearly 50 years. Those two reactors, at a nuclear plant in Georgia, were completed years late and at least $17 billion over budget. Amazon, Google and Microsoft also have been investing in solar and wind technologies, which make electricity without producing greenhouse gas emissions. Shares of Constellation Energy Corp., based in Baltimore, were flat Tuesday.

Meta to buy nuclear power from Constellation as AI demand soars

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Constellation Energy agreed to sell power from an Illinois nuclear plant to Meta Platforms as artificial intelligence sends power demand soaring. The parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp signed a 20-year contract to buy 1121 megawatts from the Clinton plant starting in mid-2027, when a state subsidy expires, according to a statement on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST). Constellation, the biggest US nuclear operator, and Meta didn't provide financial details.

Meta becomes the latest big tech company turning to nuclear power for its AI needs

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Meta has cut a 20-year deal to secure nuclear power to help meet surging demand for artificial intelligence and other computing needs at Facebook's parent company. The investment with Meta will also expand the output of a Constellation Energy Illinois nuclear plant. The agreement announced Tuesday is just the latest in a string of tech-nuclear partnerships as the use of AI expands. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center was actually slated to close in 2017 after years of financial losses but was saved by legislation in Illinois establishing a zero-emission credit program to support the plant into 2027. The Meta-Constellation deal takes effect in June of 2027, when the state's taxpayer funded zero-emission credit program expires. With the arrival of Meta, Clinton's clean energy output will expand by 30 megawatts, preserve 1,100 local jobs and bring in $13.5 million in annual tax revenue, according to the companies. "Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions," said Urvi Parekh, Meta's head of global energy. Constellation, the owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, said in September that it planned to restart the reactor so tech giant Microsoft could secure power to supply its data centers. Three Mile Island, located on the Susquehanna River just outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was the site of the nation's worst commercial nuclear power accident in 1979. Also last fall, Amazon said it was investing in small nuclear reactors, two days after a similar announcement by Google. Additionally, Google announced last month that it was investing in three advanced nuclear energy projects with Elementl Power. U.S. states have been positioning themselves to meet the tech industry's power needs as policymakers consider expanding subsidies and gutting regulatory obstacles. Last year, 25 states passed legislation to support advanced nuclear energy, and lawmakers this year have introduced over 200 bills supportive of nuclear energy, according to the trade association Nuclear Energy Institute. Advanced reactor designs from competing firms are filling up the federal government's regulatory pipeline as the industry touts them as a reliable, climate-friendly way to meet electricity demands from tech giants desperate to power their fast-growing artificial intelligence platforms. Amazon, Google and Microsoft also have been investing in solar and wind technologies, which make electricity without producing greenhouse gas emissions.

Meta's Nuclear Deal Signals AI's Growing Energy Needs

Meta's deal to help revive an Illinois nuclear power plant was one way of signaling that the parent company of Facebook and Instagram is preparing for a future built with artificial intelligence. Meta's 20-year deal with Constellation Energy follows similar maneuvers from Amazon, Google and Microsoft, but it will take years before nuclear energy can meet the tech industry's insatiable demand for new sources of electricity. AI uses vast amounts of energy, much of which comes from burning fossil fuels, which causes climate change. The unexpected popularity of generative AI products over the past few years has disrupted many tech companies' carefully laid plans to supply their technology with energy sources that don't contribute to climate change. Even as Meta anticipates more nuclear in the future, its more immediate plans rely on natural gas. Entergy, one of the nation's largest utility providers, has been fast-tracking plans to build gas-fired power plants in Louisiana to prepare for a massive Meta data center complex. Is the U.S. ready for nuclear-powered AI? France has touted its ample nuclear power -- which produces about 75% of the nation's electricity, the highest level in the world -- as a key element in its pitch to be an AI leader. Hosting an AI summit in Paris earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron cited President Donald Trump's "drill baby drill" slogan and offered another: "Here there's no need to drill, it's just plug baby plug." In the U.S., however, most of the electricity consumed by data centers relies on fossil fuels -- burning natural gas and sometimes coal -- according to an April report from the International Energy Agency. As AI demand rises, the main source of new supply over the coming years is expected to be from gas-fired plants, a cheap and reliable source of power but one that produces planet-warming emissions. Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind account for about 24% of data center power in the U.S., while nuclear comprises about 15%, according to the IEA. It will take years before enough climate-friendlier power sources, including nuclear, could start slowing the expansion of fossil fuel power generation. A report released by the U.S. Department of Energy late last year estimated that the electricity needed for data centers in the U.S. tripled over the past decade and is projected to double or triple again by 2028 when it could consume up to 12% of the nation's electricity. Why does AI need so much energy? It takes a lot of computing power to make an AI chatbot and the systems they're built on, such as Meta's Llama. It starts with a process called training or pretraining -- the "P" in ChatGPT -- that involves AI systems "learning" from the patterns of huge troves of data. To do that, they need specialized computer chips -- usually graphics processors, or GPUs -- that can run many calculations at a time on a network of devices in communication with each other. Once trained, a generative AI tool still needs electricity to do the work, such as when you ask a chatbot to compose a document or generate an image. That process is called inferencing. A trained AI model must take in new information and make inferences from what it already knows to produce a response. All of that computing takes a lot of electricity and generates a lot of heat. To keep it cool enough to work properly, data centers need air conditioning. That can require even more electricity, so most data center operators look for other cooling techniques that usually involve pumping in water. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Meta Becomes the Latest Big Tech Company Turning to Nuclear Power for AI Needs

Meta has cut a 20-year deal to secure nuclear power to help meet surging demand for artificial intelligence and other computing needs at Facebook's parent company. The investment with Meta will also expand the output of a Constellation Energy Illinois nuclear plant. The agreement announced Tuesday is just the latest in a string of tech-nuclear partnerships as the use of AI expands. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center was actually slated to close in 2017 after years of financial losses but was saved by legislation in Illinois establishing a zero-emission credit program to support the plant into 2027. The agreement deal takes effect in June of 2027, when the state's taxpayer funded zero-emission credit program expires.

Meta signs 20-year nuclear deal to power AI, datacenters

Meta has secured a 20-year deal to utilize nuclear power for artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology developments, the Facebook and Instagram parent company announced Tuesday. The deal with Constellation Energy makes Meta the latest of numerous technology companies to turn to nuclear energy to meet the increasing power demand of AI and computing operations. As part of the agreement, Meta said it will expand the output of Constellation's Clean Energy Center in Illinois, which was slated to close in 2017 amid financial troubles. The closure was delayed by Illinois legislation Future Energy Jobs Act, which allocated zero-emissions credits to the plant through mid-2027. The deal with Meta will begin in June 2027 after the zero-emissions credits expire, the companies said Tuesday. The center's clean energy output will increase by 30 megawatts under the new deal, which is expected to preserve 1,100 local jobs and generate $13.5 million in annual tax revenue. The move comes amid Meta's increased focus on AI technologies, which require an unprecedented amount of energy to develop and operate. This includes powering data centers while also attempting to limit greenhouse gas emissions "Our data centers enable these innovations, housing the infrastructure that brings these technologies to life - and we prioritize operating our data centers efficiently, matching our electricity with 100% clean and renewable energy and exploring emergent energy technologies," the company wrote in a release. Meta is expected to nearly double its spending this year as it pivots its attention to AI. The company touted the agreement as a way to help keep nuclear power plants open amid closure threats across the country. It emphasized nuclear power plants help the U.S.'s electricity grids as energy demands increase. "Keeping an existing plant operating will have the same positive effect as adding new clean energy to the grid, and avoid the disruption that has occurred when other nuclear units have retired prematurely," it continued. Constellation reached a deal with Microsoft last September to reopen Three Mile Island to power the tech company's data centers for two decades starting in 2028. The facility was originally retired five years ago due to declining revenues. Google also reached a deal last year with Kairos Power to purchase energy from a fleet of small modular reactors and shortly after, Amazon signed a series of deals to invest in advanced nuclear reactors.

Meta Becomes the Latest Big Tech Company Turning to Nuclear Power for Its AI Needs

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Meta has cut a 20-year deal to secure nuclear power to help meet surging demand for artificial intelligence and other computing needs at Facebook's parent company. The investment with Meta will also expand the output of a Constellation Energy Illinois nuclear plant. The agreement announced Tuesday is just the latest in a string of tech-nuclear partnerships as the use of AI expands. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center was actually slated to close in 2017 after years of financial losses but was saved by legislation in Illinois establishing a zero-emission credit program to support the plant into 2027. The Meta-Constellation deal takes effect in June of 2027, when the state's taxpayer funded zero-emission credit program expires. With the arrival of Meta, Clinton's clean energy output will expand by 30 megawatts, preserve 1,100 local jobs and bring in $13.5 million in annual tax revenue, according to the companies. "Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions," said Urvi Parekh, Meta's head of global energy. Constellation, the owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, said in September that it planned to restart the reactor so tech giant Microsoft could secure power to supply its data centers. Three Mile Island, located on the Susquehanna River just outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was the site of the nation's worst commercial nuclear power accident in 1979. Also last fall, Amazon said it was investing in small nuclear reactors, two days after a similar announcement by Google. Additionally, Google announced last month that it was investing in three advanced nuclear energy projects with Elementl Power. U.S. states have been positioning themselves to meet the tech industry's power needs as policymakers consider expanding subsidies and gutting regulatory obstacles. Last year, 25 states passed legislation to support advanced nuclear energy, and lawmakers this year have introduced over 200 bills supportive of nuclear energy, according to the trade association Nuclear Energy Institute. Advanced reactor designs from competing firms are filling up the federal government's regulatory pipeline as the industry touts them as a reliable, climate-friendly way to meet electricity demands from tech giants desperate to power their fast-growing artificial intelligence platforms. Amazon, Google and Microsoft also have been investing in solar and wind technologies, which make electricity without producing greenhouse gas emissions. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Meta Goes Nuclear to Fuel Its Massive AI Ambitions

Meta recognizes this. On Tuesday, the Facebook parent signed a 20-year deal to buy nuclear power from Constellation Energy, following the lead of its Magnificent Seven counterparts Microsoft, Google and Amazon. Shares of Constellation surged on the initial news but closed the trading session down 0.13 percent. Meta also ended slightly negative, though a handful of nuclear ETFs moved higher: The market reaction underscores Wall Street's inkling that the next AI trade might be measured in kilowatts rather than chips. The new Meta contract supports operations and upgrades at the Clinton Clean Energy Center near Chicago. While the company won't receive power directly, it's buying clean energy to effectively compensate for its less carbon-friendly energy sources elsewhere.

Constellation Energy, Nuclear Stocks Jump on 20-Year Meta Deal to Power AI

Nuclear power stocks NuScale Power, NuScale, and Oklo are jumping on the back of the Meta deal announced Tuesday. Constellation Energy (CEG) shares are surging in early trading Tuesday after the company said it had struck a 20-year deal to sell nuclear power to Meta Platforms (META), in the latest tech firm-to-nuclear collaboration aimed at powering data centers. Meta will buy the power generation of a Constellation nuclear plant in Clinton, Ill., to power its artificial intelligence (AI) ambitions. The financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Starting in June 2027, "the agreement supports the relicensing and continued operations of Constellation's high-performing Clinton nuclear facility for another two decades after the state's ratepayer funded zero emission credit (ZEC) program expires," Constellation said. "Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions," Urvi Parekh, head of global energy at Meta, said of the deal. Tuesday's deal between Constellation and Meta is giving nuclear stocks a fresh lift as the Instagram and Facebook owner joins tech rivals from Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google to Microsoft (MSFT) and Amazon's (AMZN) Amazon Web Services in pouring millions of dollars to boost their nuclear power access for AI. This deal builds on earlier efforts by Constellation, which said last year it would be restarting Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island Unit 1 nuclear plant to provide electricity for Microsoft's data centers in a 20-year supply deal. More recently, executive orders signed by President Donald Trump last month to accelerate the approval of new reactors and strengthen fuel supply chains have also buoyed nuclear power stocks. Shares in Constellation, which are jumping 10% in early trading, have gained 40% so far this year entering Tuesday. NuScale Power (SMR), Oklo (OKLO), Vistra (VST) and Centrus Energy (LEU) are all up at least 3% in early trading Tuesday.

Meta's nuclear deal signals AI's growing energy needs

Meta's 20-year deal with Constellation Energy follows similar maneuvers from Amazon, Google and Microsoft, but it will take years before nuclear energy can meet the tech industry's insatiable demand for new sources of electricity.Meta's deal to help revive an Illinois nuclear power plant was one way of signaling that the parent company of Facebook and Instagram is preparing for a future built with artificial intelligence. Meta's 20-year deal with Constellation Energy follows similar maneuvers from Amazon, Google and Microsoft, but it will take years before nuclear energy can meet the tech industry's insatiable demand for new sources of electricity. AI uses vast amounts of energy, much of which comes from burning fossil fuels, which causes climate change. The unexpected popularity of generative AI products over the past few years has disrupted many tech companies' carefully laid plans to supply their technology with energy sources that don't contribute to climate change. Even as Meta anticipates more nuclear in the future, its more immediate plans rely on natural gas. Entergy, one of the nation's largest utility providers, has been fast-tracking plans to build gas-fired power plants in Louisiana to prepare for a massive Meta data center complex. Is the US ready for nuclear-powered AI? France has touted its ample nuclear power - which produces about 75% of the nation's electricity, the highest level in the world - as a key element in its pitch to be an AI leader. Hosting an AI summit in Paris earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron cited President Donald Trump's "drill baby drill" slogan and offered another: "Here there's no need to drill, it's just plug baby plug." In the US, however, most of the electricity consumed by data centers relies on fossil fuels - burning natural gas and sometimes coal - according to an April report from the International Energy Agency. As AI demand rises, the main source of new supply over the coming years is expected to be from gas-fired plants, a cheand reliable source of power but one that produces planet-warming emissions. Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind account for about 24% of data center power in the US, while nuclear comprises about 15%, according to the IEA. It will take years before enough climate-friendlier power sources, including nuclear, could start slowing the expansion of fossil fuel power generation. A report released by the US Department of Energy late last year estimated that the electricity needed for data centers in the US tripled over the past decade and is projected to double or triple again by 2028 when it could consume up to 12% of the nation's electricity. Why does AI need so much energy? It takes a lot of computing power to make an AI chatbot and the systems they're built on, such as Meta's Llama. It starts with a process called training or pretraining - the "P" in ChatGPT - that involves AI systems "learning" from the patterns of huge troves of data. To do that, they need specialized computer chips - usually graphics processors, or GPUs - that can run many calculations at a time on a network of devices in communication with each other. Once trained, a generative AI tool still needs electricity to do the work, such as when you ask a chatbot to compose a document or generate an image. That process is called inferencing. A trained AI model must take in new information and make inferences from what it already knows to produce a response. All of that computing takes a lot of electricity and generates a lot of heat. To keep it cool enough to work properly, data centers need air conditioning. That can require even more electricity, so most data center operators look for other cooling techniques that usually involve pumping in water.

Meta signs power agreement with Constellation nuclear plant

The deal could serve as a model for other Big Tech companies to support existing nuclear while they also plan to power data centers with new nuclear and other energy sources. Urvi Parekh, head of global energy at Meta, said, "One of the things that we hear very acutely from utilities is they want to have certainty that power plants operating today will continue to operate."Meta Platforms on Tuesday said it has struck an agreement with Constellation Energy to keep one of the utility's reactors in Illinois operating for 20 years, in the Big Tech company's first such deal with a nuclear power plant. Why it's important Big Tech companies are looking to secure electricity as US power demand rises for the first time in two decades on demand from artificial intelligence and data centers. Illinois helps subsidise Constellation's nuclear plant, the Clinton Clean Energy Center, with a ratepayer-funded zero emissions credit program that awards benefits for generation of power virtually free of carbon emissions. That expires in 2027, when Meta's power purchase agreement will support the plant with an unspecified amount of money to help with re-licensing and operations. The deal could serve as a model for other Big Tech companies to support existing nuclear while they also plan to power data centers with new nuclear and other energy sources. Key quotes Urvi Parekh, head of global energy at Meta, said: "One of the things that we hear very acutely from utilities is they want to have certainty that power plants operating today will continue to operate." Joe Dominguez, CEO of Constellation, said: "We're definitely having conversations with other clients, not just in Illinois, but really across the country, to step in and do what Meta has done, which is essentially give us a backstop so that we could make the investments needed to re-license these assets and keep them operating." Bobby Wendell, an official at a unit of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said the agreement will deliver a "stable work environment" for workers at the plant. By the numbers The deal also allows Constellation to expand Clinton, which has a capacity of 1,121 megawatts, by 30 MW. The plant powers the equivalent of about 800,000 U.S. homes. Clinton began operating in 1987 and last year Constellation applied with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to renew its license through 2047.

Meta's nuclear power deal sends Constellation Energy stock soaring 10% after massive 20-year deal

Constellation Energy stock is soaring after Meta Platforms signed a 20-year deal to buy 1.1 gigawatts of nuclear energy from its Clinton Clean Energy Center starting in 2027. This move helps keep the Illinois plant open and supports Meta's clean energy goals. It's a major shift showing how tech giants are turning to nuclear power to meet AI-driven energy needs. The plant will stay connected to the regional grid, while Meta boosts its commitment to renewable energy. Investors and clean-energy watchers are eyeing this deal as a game-changer for both tech and power sectors.Constellation Energy Stock Surges After Meta Signs 20-Year Nuclear Power Deal- Constellation Energy stock jumped 12% in premarket trading after a major announcement from Meta Platforms. The tech giant, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has signed a 20-year deal to purchase nuclear power from Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois. This agreement is a big moment for both the clean energy and tech sectors, as it highlights the growing demand for sustainable energy to power artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. Under the new contract, Meta will buy 1.1 gigawatts of nuclear power starting in June 2027 from Constellation's Clinton plant. That's enough electricity to power roughly 750,000 homes. Importantly, this plant was facing possible closure in 2027 because its zero-emission credit was set to expire. But with Meta stepping in, Constellation now plans to apply for federal relicensing, which would extend the plant's operations. The company also plans to increase the plant's output by 30 megawatts through upgrades, adding even more clean energy to the regional power grid. Constellation CEO Joe Dominguez compared this new deal to the planned reopening of the Crane Clean Energy Center, which closed in 2019. He said that closure led to job losses, reduced tax revenue, more pollution, and higher energy prices. "We all know that the closure cost our community jobs, tax revenue, more pollution and higher prices," Dominguez said. Now, with this long-term deal in place, the Clinton plant will remain active, supporting local jobs and the clean energy transition. Interestingly, the nuclear energy from the Clinton plant won't power Meta's data centers directly. Instead, it will continue to supply power to the regional electric grid. However, this still supports Meta's clean energy goals. The company is committed to matching 100% of its electricity use with clean, renewable sources. This move also supports Meta's larger push into AI and hyperscale data operations -- both of which require massive amounts of electricity. Nuclear energy is increasingly seen as a reliable, carbon-free power source that can keep up with the demand created by AI technologies. As AI applications continue to expand, so does the need for energy. Unlike wind and solar, nuclear power provides constant, stable output, which makes it a strong match for the high-power needs of AI and cloud computing. Meta isn't new to nuclear. Back in March, the company signed the World Nuclear Association's "Large Energy Users Pledge," a commitment to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050. Now, with this latest move, Meta is making good on that promise. The ripple effect from Meta's nuclear deal was felt across the energy sector. Along with Constellation Energy's 12% stock jump, other nuclear-focused companies also saw gains: Analyst Paul Bell from Mizuho noted that Constellation hinted at this deal during an investor call last month, calling it "material non-public information." He also said this is the first independent power producer deal involving an existing nuclear asset, calling it "the next big catalyst" for the nuclear energy sector. This agreement between Meta and Constellation is more than just a power purchase. It shows that big tech companies are willing to invest in existing nuclear infrastructure, not just new projects. That could open the door to more long-term clean energy deals, helping extend the life of current nuclear plants and encouraging investment in upgrades. As AI continues to drive electricity demand, and companies like Meta seek sustainable ways to grow, nuclear energy could play a key role in the clean energy mix going forward. Q1: What is Meta's deal with Constellation Energy about? Meta signed a 20-year deal to buy nuclear energy from Constellation's Illinois plant starting in 2027. Q2: Why is Constellation Energy stock rising? Constellation stock jumped 12% after the long-term nuclear energy agreement with Meta was announced.

Constellation Energy Signs 20-Year Deal With Meta, Stock Surges - Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Constellation Energy (NASDAQ:CEG)

Constellation Energy Corp CEG and Meta Platforms META announced on Tuesday that they had inked a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA). The PPA will support Meta's clean energy goals and regional operations with 1,121 megawatts of emissions-free nuclear energy. Constellation Energy stock gained after the announcement. Beginning in June 2027, the agreement supports the relicensing and continued operations of Constellation's high-performing Clinton nuclear facility for another two decades after the state's ratepayer-funded zero emission credit (ZEC) program expires. Also Read: Meta Boosts Green Energy With New Solar Deal, Supports AI Data Center Growth The deal will expand the output of the Clinton Clean Energy Center by 30 megawatts through plant uprates. The deal is also expected to deliver $13.5 million in annual tax revenue. The Clinton Clean Energy Center was slated for premature closure in 2017 after years of financial losses despite being one of the best-performing nuclear plants in Illinois. However, the Future Energy Jobs Act prevented Clinton's retirement by establishing a Zero Emission Credit program that financially supported the plant through mid-2027. The Clinton Clean Energy Center's economic and environmental impacts are significant. The Center employs over 530 people, contributes approximately $13.5 million in annual taxes, and generates enough carbon-free electricity to power over 800,000 homes. An analysis by The Brattle Group found that shuttering Clinton would raise emissions by more than 34 million metric tons of carbon over 20 years, the equivalent of putting approximately 7.4 million gasoline-powered cars on the road for a year. Cathie Wood's Ark Invest highlighted in its new research that nuclear energy can potentially emerge as the lowest-cost source of electricity, outcompeting solar. Price Action: CEG stock is up over 4.5% at $327 at last check Tuesday. Read Next: Meta Joins Big Tech's Shift To Nuclear Power For AI Ambitions Image: Shutterstock CEGConstellation Energy Corp$329.405.10%Stock Score Locked: Edge Members Only Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Unlock RankingsEdge RankingsMomentum89.61GrowthNot AvailableQualityNot AvailableValue50.79Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewMETAMeta Platforms Inc$667.77-0.47%Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Meta Platforms Is Going Nuclear to Power its AI Technologies | The Motley Fool

Meta Platforms (META -0.54%) is building artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that have the power to transform the global economy. This powerful technology requires a tremendous amount of energy to thrive. Some AI data centers use more electricity than an entire city. That's leading Meta Platforms to ensure it has the energy it needs to run its cloud and AI operations by signing power purchase agreements (PPAs) with major clean energy producers. It recently inked a 20-year deal with Constellation Energy (CEG -0.13%) for all the power produced at its Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois. That agreement will provide Meta with more clean power for its data centers, while further enhancing Constellation Energy's long-term growth profile. Meta Platforms is signing a 20-year PPA for the entire output of Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center -- 1,121 megawatts (MW). The deal begins in June 2027 and will support the relicensing of this nuclear energy facility. The agreement will also enable Constellation Energy to expand this facility's output by 30 MW through plant uprates (regulatory approval to operate safely at a higher power level). This deal supplies Meta Platforms with clean and reliable energy to help meet its growing power needs for the next 20 years. The agreement will provide the technology giant with a significant amount of electricity (the plant can support the energy needs of more than 800,000 homes). Further, it helps the company deliver on its objective of powering 100% of its operations with clean power. Meanwhile, unlike renewable energy, which is intermittent due to variations in wind speed and sunlight, nuclear power is an always-on power source that produces at a steady rate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. That's crucial for data centers, which require a stable source of power. Meta's deal with Constellation Energy likely won't be its last nuclear power deal. The company wrote in a blog post that it's in final discussions with a short list of other potential projects to meet its goal of securing an additional 1 to 4 gigawatts (GW) of power from next-generation and advanced energy technologies, including geothermal and nuclear. Despite being one of the country's highest-performing nuclear power plants, the Clinton Clean Energy Center has been at risk of being shut down. Constellation Energy nearly closed the plant in 2017 after years of financial losses because nuclear power couldn't compete with cheaper natural gas-fired power. However, the Future Energy Jobs Act prevented the plant's premature closure by establishing the Zero Emissions Credit Program, which provides financial support for the facility through the middle of 2027. Meta's agreement to buy all the power produced from that plant will extend its economic life for another two decades. This deal is the second one by a technology giant to support one of Constellation Energy's nuclear power plants. Last year, Microsoft (MSFT 0.28%) signed a 20-year PPA for 100% of the capacity of the company's Crane Clean Energy Center (845 MW). Constellation had previously shut down that facility in 2019 due to economic reasons. However, it's in the process of restarting the facility, which it expects to bring back online in 2028. Microsoft is reportedly paying a premium price for the power produced at this facility to support the voracious energy needs of its cloud and AI operations. Growing demand for nuclear energy from technology companies is helping power a surge in Constellation Energy's earnings. The power producer expects to grow its adjusted operating earnings at a more than 13% compound annual rate through 2030. That outlook doesn't include the potential impact of its pending acquisition of Calpine, a leading natural gas and geothermal energy producer. That deal could boost its earnings by 20% next year while further enhancing its growth rate by providing opportunities to secure higher-rate gas and geothermal PPAs with technology companies to provide for their growing energy needs. AI is a game-changing technology that could significantly increase productivity. It will require a massive amount of power to thrive, which is leading Meta to partner with power producers like Constellation Energy to meet its growing energy needs. That's helping power an earnings surge for the energy company. It makes Constellation Energy an interesting way to invest in the AI megatrend alongside companies like Meta and Microsoft.

Meta signs 20-year nuclear power deal as tech giants continue...

Meta signed a 20-year deal with a nuclear plant in Illinois, becoming the latest tech giant to partner with the industry to power an expansion into artificial intelligence. Starting in June 2027, Meta will fund approximately 1.1 gigawatts of energy from Constellation Energy's Clinton Clean Energy Center in Clinton, Ill., which is the entire output from the site's sole reactor. Just one gigawatt is enough to power nearly 1 million homes. The deal is Meta's first in nuclear power, echoing moves from industry leaders like Microsoft, Google and Amazon, which have also signed deals to fund nuclear plants as their massive data centers require more and more power. "Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions," Urvi Parekh, Meta's head of global energy, said in a statement. In December, Meta put out requests for nuclear partners, saying it wanted to add between one and four gigawatts of new nuclear energy across the country. That proposal is separate from the Clinton plant funding. Meta's two-decade deal will support the plant's continuing operations and relicensing efforts. The plant will not directly power Meta's data centers, but it will support the tech giant's clean energy goals and operations in the region, Constellation said. The deal will also expand Clinton's clean energy output by 30 megawatts, preserve 1,100 high-paying jobs and deliver $13.5 million in annual tax revenue, the nuclear power firm said. Meta told The Post it is not disclosing the terms of the deal. Constellation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The nuclear center had been in danger of closing when its zero emissions credit expired in 2027. "We are proud to partner with Meta because...they figured out that supporting the relicensing and expansion of existing plants is just as impactful as finding new sources of energy," Joe Dominguez, president and chief executive of Constellation, said in a press release. "Sometimes the most important part of our journey forward is to stop taking steps backwards." In September, Microsoft signed a 20-year agreement with Constellation to restart Three Mile Island - the site of the worst nuclear meltdown in US history. Google last month said it partnered with Elementl Power to fund three new nuclear sites, and last year teamed up with Kairos Power on small modular reactors. Amazon has invested more than $500 million to develop small modular reactors and bought a data center powered by the Susquehanna nuclear plant. Meta joined some of these tech giants in March to sign a pledge to support tripling nuclear energy worldwide by 2050. The government has also taken action to spur nuclear plant construction. Last month, President Trump signed four executive orders aimed at speeding up the building of nuclear power plants, including small modular reactors. One of his new rules requires regulators to take no more than 18 months to approve applications for new reactors. The White House also set a goal to quadruple the number of nuclear power plants in the US from about 100 gigawatts to 400 gigawatts by 2050.

Meta becomes the latest big tech company turning to nuclear power for its AI needs

WASHINGTON -- Meta has cut a 20-year deal to secure nuclear power to help meet surging demand for artificial intelligence and other computing needs at Facebook's parent company. The investment with Meta will also expand the output of a Constellation Energy Illinois nuclear plant. The agreement announced Tuesday is just the latest in a string of tech-nuclear partnerships as the use of AI expands. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center was actually slated to close in 2017 after years of financial losses but was saved by legislation in Illinois establishing a zero-emission credit program to support the plant into 2027. The Meta-Constellation deal takes effect in June of 2027, when the state's taxpayer funded zero-emission credit program expires. With the arrival of Meta, Clinton's clean energy output will expand by 30 megawatts, preserve 1,100 local jobs and bring in $13.5 million in annual tax revenue, according to the companies. "Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions," said Urvi Parekh, Meta's head of global energy. Constellation, the owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, said in September that it planned to restart the reactor so tech giant Microsoft could secure power to supply its data centers. Three Mile Island, located on the Susquehanna River just outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was the site of the nation's worst commercial nuclear power accident in 1979. Also last fall, Amazon said it was investing in small nuclear reactors, two days after a similar announcement by Google. Additionally, Google announced last month that it was investing in three advanced nuclear energy projects with Elementl Power. U.S. states have been positioning themselves to meet the tech industry's power needs as policymakers consider expanding subsidies and gutting regulatory obstacles. Last year, 25 states passed legislation to support advanced nuclear energy, and lawmakers this year have introduced over 200 bills supportive of nuclear energy, according to the trade association Nuclear Energy Institute. Advanced reactor designs from competing firms are filling up the federal government's regulatory pipeline as the industry touts them as a reliable, climate-friendly way to meet electricity demands from tech giants desperate to power their fast-growing artificial intelligence platforms. Amazon, Google and Microsoft also have been investing in solar and wind technologies, which make electricity without producing greenhouse gas emissions.

Meta Platforms : and Constellation Partner on Clean Energy Project

Nuclear energy from the project will be used to support Meta's operations in the region. In addition, we continue to advance our previously announced nuclear request for proposals (RFP) process, and are in final discussions with a shortlist of potential projects to meet our 1-4 gigawatt target. At Meta, we're building AI technologies that are transforming the global economy and the way people connect. Our data centers enable these innovations, housing the infrastructure that brings these technologies to life - and we prioritize operating our data centers efficiently, matching our electricity with 100% clean and renewable energy and exploring emergent energy technologies. As we look toward our future energy needs in advancing AI, we recognize the immense value of nuclear power in providing reliable, firm electricity, and the role nuclear projects can have in supporting local economies and strengthening America's energy leadership. As we have embarked on understanding and helping to grow nuclear energy in the U.S., we have heard from across the ecosystem that existing nuclear power plants will not be able to stay online indefinitely without partners and investments that help extend existing operating licenses and increase generation capacity. It's clear that there are many nuclear power plants serving the U.S. that need long-term support to help our electricity grids remain reliable as energy needs grow. Keeping an existing plant operating will have the same positive effect as adding new clean energy to the grid, and avoid the disruption that has occurred when other nuclear units have retired prematurely. Responding to these needs, our 20-year agreement with Constellation, starting in 2027, secures the long-term operation of the Clinton Clean Energy Center, providing 1,121 megawatts of emissions-free nuclear energy. This agreement ensures a critical plant will stay online and meet growing energy needs, adds 30 megawatts of incremental capacity to the grid and allows Constellation to explore further nuclear development at the site. This partnership not only ensures the facility's operation for two decades but also preserves over 1,100 local jobs and contributes $13.5 million annually in tax revenue without relying on the state's Zero Emission Credit program, maintaining operations without additional ratepayer support. [Link]Clinton Clean Energy Center, photo via Constellation We are also continuing to focus on how Meta can spur new nuclear capacity by partnering to push forward the development of new locations for future nuclear power plants. We have seen great progress on our nuclear RFP, which opened at the beginning of the year. Through our RFP, we've received over 50 qualified submissions from a range of participants in the nuclear ecosystem - including utilities, developers and nuclear technology manufacturers. Responses have reflected a diversity of technology options, commercial terms and sites across more than 20 states. This RFP, targeted at catalyzing early development activity for 1-4 gigawatts of nuclear energy projects, is prioritizing sites where nuclear development can be advanced quickly with high degrees of certainty on execution and timeline. Meta has selected a shortlist of new nuclear projects across multiple U.S. states that represent some of the most feasible opportunities. Through these projects, we aim to activate investment in new nuclear across multiple grids and technologies, seeding new reliable firm power to support future data centers. We look forward to finalizing this process this year.