Meta Commits to 6.6-Gigawatt Nuclear Strategy to Meet AI Power Demands

Meta Platforms has unveiled an expansive 6.6-gigawatt nuclear energy roadmap, marking one of the largest private-sector power commitments in history. The plan, finalized on January 9, 2026, involves a series of agreements with Vistra, TerraPower, Oklo, and Constellation aimed at insulating Meta’s massive AI expansion from the constraints of an aging American electrical grid.

This move signals a fundamental change in how social media giants approach infrastructure. Meta is moving beyond simply purchasing carbon offsets to becoming an "anchor offtaker"—the primary financial engine behind the next generation of domestic nuclear projects. This projected portfolio is intended to provide "firm" 24/7 power for the company’s massive AI clusters, including the "Prometheus" site in Ohio and the "Hyperion" project in Louisiana.

Reanimating the Grid: The Vistra and Constellation Agreements

Meta’s immediate priority is leveraging existing nuclear infrastructure. The company has secured 20-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Vistra to buy energy from three active plants: Perry and Davis-Besse in Ohio, and Beaver Valley in Pennsylvania.

Meta isn't just buying power; it’s buying stability. By providing the long-term capital necessary to extend the operational lifespans of these facilities, Meta is effectively securing its own supply chain. One Beaver Valley reactor is now licensed to run through 2047. In a similar vein, a 20-year deal with Constellation Energy will begin feeding nuclear power to Meta’s Illinois data centers by 2027. These contracts offer a hedge against the price volatility of fossil fuels and the intermittency of wind and solar.

The SMR Gamble: TerraPower and Oklo

While existing plants provide a baseline, Meta’s 2035 goals rely heavily on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). The company has committed to supporting two Natrium units with TerraPower, with a target capacity of 690 megawatts by 2032. The deal includes options for six additional units, potentially adding 2.1 gigawatts to the portfolio.

In Pike County, Ohio, Meta is partnering with the Sam Altman-backed startup Oklo to develop a 1.2-gigawatt power campus. This project is intended to support regional data centers, with the first reactors slated for 2030. Meta has even provided a prepayment to help Oklo secure nuclear fuel.

However, these timelines are viewed with significant skepticism by industry analysts. Neither TerraPower nor Oklo has yet successfully deployed these designs at a commercial scale. The SMR sector has been plagued by regulatory bottlenecks and cost overruns that have scuttled previous high-profile projects. Whether these "future" reactors can clear the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s hurdles in time to meet the AI surge remains an open question.

Projected Scale of Meta's Nuclear Commitments

Bridging the Infrastructure Gap

The urgency behind these deals stems from the immense energy appetite of Meta’s latest hardware. The "Hyperion" project in Louisiana alone is expected to eventually require 5 gigawatts of capacity, while the "Prometheus" cluster in New Albany, Ohio, is scheduled to come online later this year.

Securing 6.6 gigawatts—roughly enough to power 5 million homes—is an attempt to ensure that Meta's "personal superintelligence" goals are not throttled by a lack of electrons. While environmental groups generally welcome the shift toward carbon-free firm power, some energy experts warn that the sheer scale of Meta’s demand could strain local grids before these new nuclear projects are completed.

"The risk for Meta isn't just the cost of the energy; it's the timing," says Elena Rossi, a senior energy analyst at GridView Research. "If the SMR projects face the typical five-to-seven-year delays we see in nuclear construction, Meta could find itself with world-class data centers and no way to plug them in." For now, Meta is betting billions that it can move faster than the traditional energy industry.