Meta Seeks Nuclear Power Proposals

By Timothy Gardner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Meta (NASDAQ:META) announced on Tuesday its pursuit of proposals from nuclear power developers to align with its artificial intelligence and environmental objectives, joining other tech giants in exploring nuclear energy amid rising electricity demands.

The company aims to introduce 1 to 4 gigawatts of new nuclear generation capacity in the U.S. starting in the early 2030s, as stated in a press release. Typically, a U.S. nuclear plant generates around 1 gigawatt.

"At Meta, we believe nuclear energy will play a pivotal role in the transition to a cleaner, more reliable, and diversified electric grid," the company expressed in the release.

According to Goldman Sachs estimates, power usage in U.S. data centers is projected to triple between 2023 and 2030, necessitating an additional 47 gigawatts of generation capacity.

However, meeting this surge in power demand quickly with nuclear reactors poses challenges, as companies will need to navigate an overworked U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, potential uranium supply issues, and local opposition.

In September, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Constellation Energy (NASDAQ:CEG) announced plans to restart a unit at the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania, marking the first nuclear restart for a data center. This followed a similar deal announced by Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) in March, where it acquired a nuclear-powered data center from Talen Energy.

Meta is specifically looking for developers skilled in community engagement, development, and permitting, and is open to proposals for either small modular reactors, a nascent sector, or larger reactors similar to existing U.S. facilities.

Developers interested in this proposal request can submit their applications until February 7, 2025.

Meta is implementing this request-for-proposal (RFP) process because nuclear projects are generally more capital-intensive, take longer to develop, and face greater regulatory scrutiny compared to renewable energy initiatives like solar and wind.

"An RFP process will allow us to approach these projects thoroughly and thoughtfully, considering all these factors," the company added.

(This story has been corrected to update the proposal deadline from January 3 to January 7 in paragraph 8.)