Meta’s Multi-Decade Nuclear Deal

Good morning folks, 

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms positioned itself for the long term. 

The tech giant entered into a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Constellation Energy to secure 1,121 megawatts of nuclear energy from the Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois. 

The agreement will commence in June 2027, ensuring the long-term operation of the Clinton Clean Energy Center and preserving more than 1,100 local jobs. 

Meta’s 20-year nuclear deal signals a new reality: scaling AI requires scaling energy. The company writes, 

At Meta, we’re building AI technologies that are transforming the global economy and the way people connect. Our data centers enable these innovations, housing the infrastructure that brings these technologies to life – and we prioritize operating our data centers efficiently, matching our electricity with 100% clean and renewable energy and exploring emergent energy technologies. As we look toward our future energy needs in advancing AI, we recognize the immense value of nuclear power in providing reliable, firm electricity, and the role nuclear projects can have in supporting local economies and strengthening America’s energy leadership. 

Recommended Reading

Vaclav Smil’s Energy and Civilization explains how every leap in human progress — agriculture, industry, technology — was powered by energy breakthroughs. 

Energy is the only universal currency… Humans are the only species that can systematically harness energies outside their bodies, using the power of their intellect and an enormous variety of artifacts from the simplest tools to internal combustion engines and nuclear reactors. The epochal transition to fossil fuels affected everything: agriculture, industry, transportation, weapons, communication, economics, urbanization, quality of life, politics and the environment.

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Godspeed – Rosebee