Meta bets big on nuclear power to fuel data center surge

Meta (META) announced new agreements Friday with companies in the nuclear power sector to secure clean energy for its growing data center operations.

The company said the plan includes agreements with Vistra Energy, TerraPower, and Oklo.

Meta expects to offtake more than 2,000 megawatts of electricity from nuclear plants owned by Vistra in Ohio. The company will also support the accelerated development of two reactors planned by TerraPower.

In addition, Meta will make a prepayment to Oklo to secure nuclear fuel and advance early project development for a site in Ohio. The company did not disclose financial terms.

Shares of Vistra and Oklo rose sharply in premarket trading following the announcement. Vistra shares increased by about 10 percent, while Oklo shares gained roughly 20 percent.

Meta said the agreements outline a broader plan that could provide as much as 6.6 gigawatts of nuclear power over time. That amount of electricity is roughly equivalent to the needs of about five million U.S. homes.

As part of a 20-year power purchase agreement with Vistra, Meta plans to help finance more than 400 megawatts of power uprates at existing nuclear facilities in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The company is also shifting part of its nuclear strategy toward newer reactor designs. Meta said it has reached agreements with Oklo and TerraPower for future expansion using liquid sodium–cooled reactor technology.

TerraPower, founded by Bill Gates, is expected to provide up to six additional reactor plants for Meta’s data centers. Each reactor could generate about 500 megawatts of power.

Oklo plans to begin development of a nuclear energy campus in Ohio with a target capacity of 1,200 megawatts from sodium-cooled reactors.

The announcement comes as the Department of Energy recently awarded funding to light water reactor developers GE Vernova and Holtec.

Technology companies including Google, Amazon, and Meta have increasingly pursued agreements tied to advanced nuclear designs to meet long-term power needs.