US technology giant Meta has unveiled a sweeping set of nuclear energy agreements that could support up to 6.6 gigawatts (GW) of power by 2035, cementing its position as one of the largest corporate buyers of nuclear energy in US history. The deals span legacy reactors and next-generation designs, tying Meta’s AI-driven data centre expansion directly to long-term, carbon-free nuclear power.
The announcement marks a major escalation in Meta’s clean energy strategy as artificial intelligence workloads push electricity demand to unprecedented levels. State-of-the-art data centres now require not just renewable power, but firm, around-the-clock electricity that can scale reliably. Nuclear energy, Meta argues, fits that role better than almost any other option.
“These agreements are about securing the energy backbone for America’s AI future,” said Joel Kaplan, Chief Global Affairs Officer at Meta, in comments accompanying the announcement. Nuclear power, he added, would help strengthen US energy infrastructure while delivering clean, dependable electricity to communities hosting Meta’s facilities.
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The agreements follow a request for proposals issued by Meta in December 2024, and involve three major nuclear players: Vistra Corp, TerraPower, and Oklo Inc. Together with a previously announced 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Constellation Energy last year, Meta says the deals make it one of the most significant corporate purchasers of nuclear power ever, according to World Nuclear News.
The largest near-term capacity comes from Vistra Corp, headquartered in Irving, Texas. Meta has signed 20-year PPAs covering 2,176 megawatts (MW) of electricity from the operating Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear plants in Ohio. The agreement also includes power from uprates at those plants and at the Beaver Valley station in Pennsylvania, ultimately bringing Vistra’s contribution to 2,609 MW once fully online by 2034.
Those plants were nearly shut down just a few years ago. “They were on a path to retirement as recently as 2020,” said Stacey Doré, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer at Vistra. Acquired by Vistra in 2023, the reactors are now set for decades of continued operation. Each has already received an initial licence renewal from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), extending operations 20 years beyond their original 40-year licences, reported World Nuclear News.
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Meta’s long-term contracts give Vistra the financial certainty to pursue subsequent licence renewals, potentially adding another 20 years of operation per reactor. Vistra President and CEO Jim Burke called the partnership a “unique and exciting collaboration” that would support both community investment and grid reliability.
Beyond preserving existing reactors, Meta is also betting heavily on advanced nuclear technology. Its agreement with TerraPower, founded by Bill Gates and headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, supports the development of up to eight Natrium sodium fast reactors. Two units could deliver up to 690 MW as early as 2032, with rights to power from six additional units producing 2.1 GW by 2035.
The Natrium reactor, developed by TerraPower and GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, combines fast-neutron technology with molten salt energy storage. TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque said Meta’s backing supports “rapid deployment” at a critical moment, as the company moves from design into commercial delivery.
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Meta’s third major agreement is with Oklo Inc, which plans to build a 1.2 GW advanced nuclear campus in Pike County, Ohio. Oklo’s Aurora Powerhouse is a fast-neutron reactor that uses heat pipes and a supercritical carbon dioxide power cycle. Meta will prepay for power and fund early development, helping the project move toward first operations as early as 2030, according to World Nuclear News.
“These projects will power the grids that support Meta’s operations, including our Prometheus supercluster in New Albany, Ohio,” Meta said. For a company racing to scale AI infrastructure, the message is clear: nuclear energy is no longer a distant option, but a central pillar of Big Tech’s future.
