Meta signs deals with three nuclear firms for 6-plus GW of power

Meta has announced three separate agreements to secure 6-plus GW of nuclear power capacity, aiming to meet the energy demands of its data centers by the early 2030s. The deals are the result of a request for proposals that Meta issued in December 2024, in which the company sought partners that could add between 1 to 4 gigawatts of generating capacity by the early 2030s. Much of this new power will flow through the PJM interconnection, a regional grid operator that coordinates wholesale electricity across 13 Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states in the U.S.

The agreements split capacity across three energy providers, combining existing nuclear infrastructure with small modular reactors (SMRs)—smaller, factory-built nuclear reactors designed to lower construction costs:

• Vistra: Meta will buy 2.1 gigawatts of power from Vistra’s existing Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear plants in Ohio. Vistra will also add capacity to those plants and its Beaver Valley plant in Pennsylvania, generating an additional 433 MW scheduled to come online in the early 2030s.
• Oklo: Meta is buying 1.2 gigawatts of power from Oklo, an SMR startup that went public via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in 2023. Oklo is hoping to start supplying power to the grid as early as 2030, with plans to build its 75 megawatts Aurora Powerhouse reactors in Pike County, Ohio. Oklo is aiming for a cost of $80 to $130 per megawatt-hour for its power.
• TerraPower: Co-founded by Bill Gates, the startup is aiming to start sending electricity to Meta as early as 2032. Working with GE Hitachi to build its first plant in Wyoming, TerraPower’s reactors generate 345 megawatts of electricity using molten sodium, with a storage system providing an additional 100 to 500 megawatts. Meta’s first two reactors will provide 690 megawatts, and Meta has rights to buy another six units for a total of 2.8 gigawatts of nuclear capacity and 1.2 gigawatts of storage. TerraPower has estimated its cost at $50 to $60 per megawatt-hour.

While these agreements represent a significant push into nuclear energy, the SMR startups face steep regulatory and execution hurdles. In particular, Oklo has struggled to get its reactor design approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the U.S. government agency responsible for nuclear safety and reactor design approval. Although Oklo has previously landed a deal with data center operator Switch, its timeline depends heavily on overcoming these regulatory delays.

Why it matters

Nuclear power is becoming the preferred baseload for AI-driven data centers. Meta’s investment provides a critical test for SMR startups to prove that mass manufacturing can lower costs for smaller reactors.