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.
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