WASHINGTON — Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has become the latest tech giant to embrace nuclear power as it races to meet the surging energy demands of artificial intelligence and data processing. On Tuesday, Meta announced a 20-year agreement with Constellation Energy to secure carbon-free electricity from the Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois. The move is intended to bolster the company’s rapidly expanding AI infrastructure while aligning with its clean energy goals.
Once on the brink of closure in 2017 due to mounting financial losses, the Clinton nuclear facility was preserved by Illinois’ zero-emission credit (ZEC) program. That program is set to expire in 2027—the same year Meta’s new agreement will take effect. Under the deal, Constellation will increase the plant’s clean energy output by 30 megawatts, enough to power tens of thousands of homes. In addition to supplying Meta’s growing energy needs, the agreement is expected to preserve 1,100 local jobs and generate $13.5 million in annual tax revenue.
“Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions,” said Urvi Parekh, Meta’s head of global energy. The company has significantly ramped up its investment in high-performance computing and generative AI technologies—initiatives that require an immense and continuous power supply.
Meta’s decision reflects a broader shift in the tech industry toward nuclear energy as a sustainable solution for powering data centers. Microsoft, for instance, is working with Constellation to restart the dormant Three Mile Island reactor in Pennsylvania, a site known for the worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history. Amazon recently committed to investing in small modular reactors, and Google has backed three advanced nuclear projects through Elementl Power.
These developments underscore the urgent challenge facing big tech: how to support explosive digital growth—especially in AI—while keeping carbon emissions low. Although solar and wind technologies remain key to their energy portfolios, the intermittent nature of those sources often fails to meet the always-on demands of modern computing infrastructure. Nuclear, by contrast, provides a steady, zero-emission alternative.
Momentum for nuclear energy has also surged nationwide. In 2024, 25 U.S. states enacted legislation supporting advanced nuclear technology, and more than 200 pro-nuclear bills have been introduced in 2025. The Nuclear Energy Institute notes that the federal regulatory system is now saturated with proposals for next-generation reactors.
Yet challenges remain. The U.S. has no commercially operating next-gen reactors, and the only two large reactors built in the last 50 years—both in Georgia—faced massive cost overruns and delays. Despite these hurdles, tech giants are betting that nuclear energy is essential to their future.
Even as they continue to invest in renewables, companies like Meta are recognizing the unique reliability nuclear offers. In the push to power an AI-driven digital era, nuclear energy is fast emerging not as a legacy solution, but as a central pillar of what’s to come.