- Meta signs a 20 -year agreement to support the installation of nuclear energy in Illinois
- Clinton Clean Energy Center was to close in 2027
- The installation will provide 1,121 megawatts of “nuclear energy without emissions”
Meta revealed an agreement to support a nuclear power plant in the next 20 years in what he says is an offer to fuel the continuous demand for AI.
The Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois, owned by Constellation Energy, was to be in Boullon in 2027, but will now remain open thanks to the support of Meta.
The 20 -year agreement will see the installation provide 1,121 megawatts of “nuclear energy without emissions”, with an additional additional capacity of 30 MW if necessary.
The agreement will only mark the second American site to accommodate a nuclear reactor fully built this century, according to the Vogtle factory, built in 2023 near Waynesboro, in Georgia.
“While we have embarked on understanding and assistance in nuclear energy growth in the United States, we have heard from everywhere for ecosystem that existing nuclear power plants cannot remain online indefinitely without partners and investments that help extend existing operating licenses and increase production capacity,” Meta said in a press release.
“It is clear that there are many nuclear power plants serving the United States which needs long-term support to help our electrical networks remain reliable as energy needs are developing.”
“Keeping an functioning of the existing factory will have the same positive effect as adding a new energy specific to the network and avoiding the disturbances that occurred when other nuclear units have retired prematurely.”
Built in 1987, Meta says that the Clinton Clean Energy Center support will also preserve more than 1,100 local jobs and contributes $ 13.5 million per year in tax revenue.
The factory had been faced with a closure since 2017 due to financial pressure, but the Illinois adopted its future Energy Jobs Act in 2016, which extended its operations via a zero emission credit program (ZEC). This had to expire in 2027, but Meta’s support should now see him work far beyond that.
“We are proud to associate with Meta because they asked this important question, and even better, they understood that support for the recilisation and expansion of existing plants is just as impactful as finding new sources of energy,” said Joe Dominguez, President and Chief Executive Officer, Constellation.
“Sometimes the most important part of our forward journey is to stop taking steps back.”
A March 2025 report commissioned by the company BRATTLE said that closing the Clinton factory would have led to 34 million metric tonnes of additional carbon pollution over 20 years – the equivalent of 7.4 million additional gas cars on the road for a year – as well as the Illinois GDP at $ 765 million.
