Meta Platforms has signed a long-term power purchase agreement with Constellation Energy to secure nuclear energy for its growing artificial intelligence operations.
The deal, centered on the Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois, will run for 20 years and begins in mid-2027, following the expiration of state subsidies for the plant.
The agreement marks Meta’s largest energy procurement to date and reflects the increasing energy requirements of AI technologies. It also highlights the broader interest among tech companies in nuclear power as a carbon-free, reliable energy source.
Under the agreement, Meta will not receive electricity directly from the plant. Instead, it will purchase the clean energy attributes through a power purchase agreement (PPA), a common structure used by corporations to offset emissions tied to energy use. This model allows the Clinton plant to continue sending electricity to the broader grid while Meta receives credit for the low-carbon energy generation.
Constellation, the largest operator of nuclear power in the United States, will invest in upgrades at the Clinton facility, with plans to enhance output by an additional 30 megawatts. The plant currently produces around 1,100 megawatts, enough to supply approximately one million homes. The deal may also provide financial justification for applying for a 20-year license extension for the Clinton plant, originally licensed to operate until 2027.
“This is billions of dollars in capital to run a plant for 20 more years,” said Constellation CEO Joe Dominguez.
He added that the partnership could lead to further development at the site, including potentially adding a second reactor—an option the company is actively exploring with federal approval already in place.
The deal also draws parallels to a similar arrangement Constellation struck with Microsoft in 2023 to support the restart of a reactor at the Three Mile Island facility in Pennsylvania.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has significantly expanded its data center infrastructure to support AI model training, which requires considerable amounts of electricity. In a broader effort to diversify its energy portfolio, Meta has been soliciting proposals for up to 4 gigawatts of new nuclear generation to come online in the next decade.
The Meta-Constellation announcement sparked movement in the energy sector, particularly among nuclear-related stocks. Constellation Energy saw a 2% rise, while uranium producer Cameco and power companies like Talen Energy and Vistra also posted gains. However, not all nuclear stocks benefited—Oklo and Nano Nuclear Energy saw slight declines in trading.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
As the tech industry’s appetite for electricity grows in tandem with advancements in artificial intelligence, partnerships like the one between Meta and Constellation may play a crucial role in both decarbonization efforts and the preservation of the US nuclear fleet. Dominguez emphasized that similar contracts could be essential for maintaining the viability of other aging nuclear facilities, especially as public subsidies phase out.
With input from Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily.
