Meta Platforms Inc. has agreed to a series of electricity deals, reports Bloomberg, that could make it the biggest buyer of nuclear power among its hyperscaler peers, signalling how critical reliable energy has become for AI development.
The agreements, which could eventually exceed 6 gigawatts of capacity, come as US power demand surges and utilities struggle to keep up.
For Meta, securing electricity has become as strategic as building data centres themselves, with nuclear energy emerging as a central pillar of its long-term plans.
Power supply becomes a bottleneck
Electricity demand in the US is expected to rise by at least 30% by 2030, with data centres responsible for most of the increase, according to energy consultancy Grid Strategies.
AI systems require vast computing resources that must operate around the clock, placing sustained pressure on local grids.
While data centres can be built and activated relatively quickly, power generation often cannot.
This mismatch has turned electricity into one of the biggest constraints on AI expansion, forcing technology firms to lock in supply years in advance.
Nuclear deals take shape
Meta said on Friday it will purchase electricity from three existing nuclear plants operated by Vistra Corp and support new reactor projects being developed by Oklo Inc and TerraPower LLC over the next decade.
These agreements followed a separate deal announced in June to secure power from a nuclear site run by Constellation Energy Corp.
The market reaction was immediate.
Vistra shares rose about 11% before trading opened in New York, while Oklo shares jumped roughly 16%, reflecting renewed investor interest in nuclear-linked assets.
Why nuclear still matters
Although hyperscalers have historically prioritised renewable energy, nuclear power offers a combination of low carbon emissions and constant output that wind and solar cannot always provide.
Nuclear plants also reduce reliance on fossil fuels while delivering steady baseload electricity, which is essential for AI workloads.
At the same time, nuclear projects take years to plan and build, often a decade or more.
This long development timeline explains why Meta is backing both existing reactors and early-stage projects that will only come online in the 2030s.
Details of the agreements
Under its deal with Vistra, Meta will buy energy from the Davis-Besse and Perry reactors in Ohio, representing more than 2.1 gigawatts of operating capacity.
The agreement also includes an additional 433 megawatts from planned upgrades at those facilities and from the Beaver Valley plant in Pennsylvania.
These plants feed into the PJM Interconnection grid, which serves over 67 million people across the Midwest and mid-Atlantic.
Separately, Meta will secure up to 1.2 gigawatts from reactors Oklo plans to build in Ohio, with the first potentially entering service around 2030, subject to regulatory approval.
The deal includes a prepayment aimed largely at fuel procurement.
Meta has also backed two TerraPower reactors capable of generating up to 690 megawatts by the early 2030s and secured rights to energy from up to six additional future projects totalling 2.1 gigawatts.
Gas still fills the gap
Despite the nuclear push, natural gas remains part of Meta’s energy mix.
The larger Hyperion project in rural Louisiana, which could scale to 5 gigawatts by 2028, is expected to be powered by at least three gas-fired plants, with utility Entergy Corp seeking approval to add more generation.
Together, these moves show how Meta is assembling multiple power sources to avoid energy constraints as it pours hundreds of billions of dollars into AI infrastructure.
The post Why Meta is betting big on nuclear energy to fuel AI growth appeared first on Invezz
