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Meta (META-2.36%) has secured a 20-year agreement with Constellation Energy (CEG-2.56%) to purchase nuclear power from the Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois, as it works to secure more energy for its growing AI operations, the company said Tuesday.
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-2.87%), Google (GOOGL-1.57%), and Microsoft (MSFT-0.92%) 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.”