Meta Platforms on Tuesday said it has struck an agreement with Constellation Energy to keep one of the utility's reactors in Illinois operating for 20 years, in the Big Tech company's first such deal with a nuclear power plant.
Big Tech companies are looking to secure electricity as US power demand rises for the first time in two decades on demand from artificial intelligence and data centers.
Illinois helps subsidise Constellation's nuclear plant, the Clinton Clean Energy Center, with a ratepayer-funded zero emissions credit program that awards benefits for generation of power virtually free of carbon emissions. That expires in 2027, when Meta's power purchase agreement will support the plant with an unspecified amount of money to help with re-licensing and operations.
The deal could serve as a model for other Big Tech companies to support existing nuclear while they also pl ..
The deal also allows Constellation to expand Clinton, which has a capacity of 1,121 megawatts, by 30 MW. The plant powers the equivalent of about 800,000 U.S. homes.
Clinton began operating in 1987 and last year Constellation applied with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to renew its license through 2047.
