Facebook parent Meta wants to find developers that can provide nuclear reactors to support electricity demand from the tech company’s data centers and artificial intelligence (AI) efforts. The group said the new generation capacity also could support local power grids.
Meta on Dec. 3 announced a request for proposals (RFP) “to identify nuclear energy developers to help us meet our AI innovation and sustainability objectives—targeting 1 [to] 4 gigawatts (GW) of new nuclear generation capacity in the U.S.”
The company said it wants to have nuclear power available for its use starting in the early 2030s. Meta said, “We are taking an open approach with this RFP so we can partner with others across the industry to bring new nuclear energy to the grid.”
Nuclear Power and More
Several technology companies, including Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, along with Meta are looking at nuclear power and other generation resources to power their energy-intensive data centers and AI initiatives. Entergy, a major southeastern U.S. utility, recently announced plans to build a 1,500-MW natural gas-fired power plant in Louisiana to support a Meta data center there.
Amazon on Dec. 2 published a document listing seven ways the company is looking at nuclear power to support its operations. The company also has published an explainer of its carbon-free energy projects that support its business.
Meta in its RFP wrote, “We are seeking developers with strong community engagement, development, and permitting, and execution expertise that have development opportunities for new nuclear energy resources—either Small Modular Reactors (SMR) or larger nuclear reactors.”
The company also wrote, “Supporting the development of clean energy must continue to be a priority as electric grids expand to accommodate growing energy needs. At Meta, we believe nuclear energy will play a pivotal role in the transition to a cleaner, more reliable, and diversified electric grid,” adding, “Our aim is to add 1-4 GW of new nuclear generation capacity in the U.S. to be delivered starting in the early 2030s. We are looking to identify developers that can help accelerate the availability of new nuclear generators and create sufficient scale to achieve material cost reductions by deploying multiple units, both to provide for Meta’s future energy needs and to advance broader industry decarbonization.”
Balancing Need for Power with Sustainability
Balancing industry growth with sustainable energy initiatives is a particular challenge for data center operators due to the energy-intensive nature of such businesses. The need for greater amounts of electricity has led some utilities to say they will keep coal-fired units online longer than previously anticipated in order to avoid energy shortfalls.
Texas-based Vistra has said it is looking at nuclear power and natural gas-fired generation to help meet data center electricity demand. Microsoft has said it wants to restart a reactor at the Three Mile Island site in Pennsylvania. Amazon earlier this year acquired a data center campus next to the Susquehanna nuclear power plant, also in Pennsylvania.
Microsoft in October announced a $1 billion investment in Ohio for data centers, just days after local utility AEP Ohio announced a tariff rate structure to help pay for the cost of building new electricity infrastructure for tech companies.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.