Meta Platforms has signed a 20-year agreement with Constellation Energy to purchase emissions-free nuclear power from the Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois, in a move designed to meet soaring energy needs driven by artificial intelligence and data centre expansion.
Under the deal, Meta will purchase the full 1,121 megawatt output of the Clinton facility starting mid-2027, when Illinois’ state subsidy program for the plant expires. The arrangement ensures the plant remains operational and adds 30 megawatts of new capacity to the regional grid. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The partnership is Meta’s largest power deal to date and marks its first direct investment in nuclear energy. “Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions,” said Urvi Parekh, Meta’s head of global energy.
The agreement preserves more than 1,100 local jobs and will contribute US$13.5 million annually in tax revenue. Notably, the plant will continue supplying electricity to the broader grid rather than powering Meta’s data centres directly.
Growing nuclear appetite in tech
The Clinton deal adds to a growing trend of tech companies turning to nuclear energy to meet rising power demands from AI and cloud computing, while maintaining net-zero targets. In March, Meta joined Google, Amazon and Microsoft in signing a pledge to triple global nuclear energy capacity by 2050.
Constellation CEO Joe Dominguez praised Meta’s approach, saying: “Sometimes the most important part of our journey forward is to stop taking steps backwards.” He added that Constellation is exploring the possibility of building a second reactor at the Clinton site.
Microsoft recently signed a similar deal to restart the Three Mile Island plant, while Google is backing three advanced nuclear projects with Elementl Power. Amazon, meanwhile, has invested over US$500 million into small modular reactor (SMR) technology and acquired a data centre campus powered by the Susquehanna nuclear plant.
Meta’s parallel nuclear push
Alongside the Clinton deal, Meta continues to pursue new nuclear capacity through its nuclear RFP (request for proposals) process, launched in December. The company is evaluating over 50 submissions across more than 20 states, targeting the addition of 1–4 gigawatts of advanced nuclear power in the 2030s.
These efforts are part of Meta’s broader strategy to match 100% of its energy use with clean power, while accommodating rapid growth in AI workloads. The company’s electricity consumption nearly tripled between 2019 and 2023.
Policy tailwinds and infrastructure constraints
The deal comes amid a broader policy push for nuclear power in the United States. President Trump recently signed executive orders aiming to quadruple nuclear capacity by 2050, calling for streamlined regulatory approvals and a domestic fuel supply chain. However, despite growing private-sector interest, only two new large reactors have been completed in the past 50 years, and cost overruns remain a challenge.
Constellation is seeking relicensing approval for Clinton through 2047, and the deal with Meta could serve as a blueprint for future arrangements with other large-scale energy buyers. According to Dominguez, similar negotiations are underway nationwide.
Despite the promise of nuclear, experts caution that transmission infrastructure must also be expanded to avoid bottlenecks. “That’s my biggest concern,” said George Gross, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Illinois, noting that grid investment has lagged even as energy demand surges.
Constellation shares initially jumped 7% on the news before closing flat on Tuesday. Meta shares slipped slightly.
