Meta bets on nuclear energy for its artificial intelligence infrastructure
In a major strategic move, Meta has signed a twenty-year agreement with the energy company Constellation Energy, thereby securing the exclusive supply of clean electricity generated at the Clinton nuclear power plant, located in DeWitt County, Illinois. This collaboration seeks not only to cover the company’s energy needs for the operation of its data centers and artificial intelligence systems, but also to revitalize a plant that was nearing closure for economic reasons.
The demand for computational capacity to train and operate artificial intelligence models has skyrocketed, and with it the electricity consumption of tech giants like Meta. The company led by Mark Zuckerberg is thus responding with a step towards carbon-free energy sources, committed to its sustainability goals. This initiative not only guarantees a stable energy source, but also saves more than 1,100 local jobs and ensures key tax revenues for the community.
The Clinton reactor, with a capacity of 1,121 megawatts, had faced financial difficulties in the past, surviving thanks to the state’s Zero Emission Credit (ZEC) program. The expiration of this scheme in 2027 threatened to force the plant’s closure. With Meta’s investment, the plant will not only maintain its operations, but will also be modernized to increase its energy efficiency.
A growing trend in the technology sector
This action by Meta is not an isolated case within the industry. Microsoft, for example, is collaborating on the reactivation of a unit at Three Mile Island, famous for the worst nuclear accident in US history. Amazon and Google are exploring innovative solutions, including SMRs (Small Modular Reactors), a technology of compact, safer, and more flexible nuclear reactors.
The economic impact extends far beyond energy production. In Illinois alone, keeping the Clinton plant operational will avoid an estimated annual loss of $765 million in the state’s gross domestic product and prevent the emission of some 34 million metric tons of CO₂ over the next two decades—equivalent to the annual emissions of more than seven million automobiles.
In addition to the current agreement, Meta has launched an open call for long-term nuclear projects, with the goal of adding between 1 and 4 gigawatts of additional energy capacity. This call is expected to culminate in new plants, possibly even within the state of Illinois itself, where there is already favorable infrastructure and a skilled workforce.
An example for the future of clean energy
The agreement between Meta and Constellation could become a replicable model for other large corporations that depend on massive processing. The transition to modern and clean nuclear energy sources seems to offer a viable solution to the energy scalability challenge facing AI.
In this emerging scenario, the data centers of tomorrow could depend less on intermittent sources such as solar or wind, and more on nuclear plants reactivated or redesigned to respond precisely to the demands of intensive computing. And at the same time, new economic opportunities would open up for regions previously threatened by energy closures or deindustrialization.
The combination of environmental sustainability, energy security, and economic growth places nuclear energy at the center of a silent revolution in the digital infrastructure of artificial intelligence.
