Meta Taps Nuclear Power to Fuel AI Surge, Joining Big Tech’s Clean Energy Shift
Meta has entered a 20-year agreement to secure nuclear energy from Constellation Energy’s Illinois plant, aligning with a broader tech trend to meet soaring AI-driven power demands.
In a landmark energy move, Meta has become the latest tech giant to turn to nuclear power to support its expanding artificial intelligence (AI) operations. The company has signed a 20-year deal to source clean electricity from Constellation Energy’s Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois—an agreement poised to significantly scale the plant’s output.
With this collaboration, Clinton’s energy production will increase by 30 megawatts—enough to power a city of 30,000 residents annually, according to University of Illinois professor George Gross. The deal is also expected to secure 1,100 local jobs and generate $13.5 million annually in tax revenue.
“Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions,” said Urvi Parekh, Meta’s head of global energy.
This deal follows Meta’s growing need for sustainable energy to power Facebook and other AI-heavy platforms. Although the financial details remain undisclosed, the agreement will take effect in June 2027—just as Illinois’ taxpayer-funded zero-emission credit program is set to expire. That program had previously saved the Clinton plant from closure back in 2017.
The Clinton facility currently supplies enough power for approximately 800,000 U.S. homes. The partnership with Meta not only preserves this vital energy infrastructure but also signals a shift in how tech companies are sourcing power amid escalating climate and energy concerns.
Nuclear Energy: A Rising Trend Among Tech Giants
Meta’s move is part of a larger trend among major technology firms exploring nuclear options to meet their sustainability goals. Amazon and Google have already made similar announcements. Just last fall, Amazon revealed its investment in small modular reactors (SMRs), shortly after a similar statement from Google. More recently, Google committed to three advanced nuclear projects in collaboration with Elementl Power.
As AI and data center power demands skyrocket, many U.S. states are racing to position themselves as future tech-energy hubs. In 2024 alone, 25 states passed pro-nuclear energy legislation, and more than 200 supportive bills have been introduced in 2025, as per the Nuclear Energy Institute.
Challenges Ahead
Despite this momentum, the path to rapid nuclear expansion in the U.S. remains steep. The country has not seen next-generation reactors deployed commercially, and only two new large-scale reactors have been constructed in the last five decades—both completed years late and vastly over budget in Georgia.
Professor Gross also emphasized that the U.S. must focus more on strengthening its aging transmission grid. “That’s my biggest concern,” he noted, citing a decline in grid investment even as energy demand continues to rise.
Clean Energy Push Continues
Alongside nuclear, companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have continued investing in wind and solar energy to curb carbon emissions and diversify their clean energy portfolios.
While the Three Mile Island incident in 1979 still casts a long shadow over nuclear power in the U.S., the emerging wave of tech-nuclear collaborations may signal a reimagined future—one where AI meets clean, reliable energy on a large scale.
