Meta has for the first time signed a long-term power purchase agreement for nuclear energy. The technology group will procure the entire electricity production of the Clinton Clean Energy Center in the US state of Illinois from June 2027 for two decades. The agreement with Constellation Energy, the operator of the largest fleet of conventional nuclear reactors in the USA, aims to increase its own security of supply for data-intensive AI applications.
The Clinton facility was once threatened with decommissioning but has been kept online since 2017 through government subsidies, which expire in mid-2027 – Meta takes over seamlessly. The agreement with the social media company is not only intended to prevent decommissioning but also to increase reactor capacity by 30 megawatts. Additionally, according to Constellation, the deal secures around 1,100 local jobs and generates $13.5 million annually in local tax revenue.
Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. However, Constellation announced plans to apply for a new operating license for the reactor with the US government based on the deal. The partnership thus opens new regulatory leeway for the group. The company’s shares rose by around six percent following the announcement.
Mark Zuckerberg, meanwhile, is pursuing a multi-billion dollar strategy to make Meta a leader in the field of artificial intelligence. The energy partnership is part of a series of deals between major technology companies and nuclear power plant operators. Microsoft had already signed a similar agreement with Constellation for the legendary but decommissioned Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania, while Amazon and Google have also agreed on long-term nuclear power purchases.
The demand for reliable, emission-free energy is rising massively amid the AI euphoria. US President Donald Trump recently responded with an order to accelerate reactor expansion to quadruple nuclear capacity by 2050. Meanwhile, Constellation announced in the spring that it intends to acquire rival Calpine for $27 billion – a signal of increasing consolidation among US power suppliers in the AI era.
Meta had already failed with a similar project in 2023 when environmental regulations – specifically the discovery of a rare bee species – blocked the construction of a data center near a reactor. The fact that the Clinton reactor is already in operation now mitigates regulatory risks and significantly shortens the timeline for Meta.
