Constellation Energy has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Meta to provide the tech giant nuclear power from its Clinton Nuclear Clean Energy Center in Clinton, Ill.
Meta will purchase energy output from Constellation’s Clinton plant to progress its clean energy goals and operations. The deal between the two companies will uprate Clinton’s energy output by 30 megawatts and preserve 1,100 local jobs, according to Constellation’s Tuesday press release.
Meta is the corporate brand for Facebook now.
Starting in June 2027, the agreement will support the relicensing and continued operations of the Clinton nuclear plant for another 20 years after the state’s ratepayer funded zero emission credit program expires.
The zero emission credit program was established by the Future Energy Jobs Act in Illinois, which was enacted as a law in December 2016 and went into effect in June 2017.
The credit program prevented the Clinton plant from closing in 2017, which was scheduled to shut down due to its financial losses. It will financially support the plant until mid-2027, according to the press release.
With the continued operation of the Clinton plant Constellation said it is evaluating strategies to extend the plant’s existing early site permit or seek a new construction permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to pursue an additional reactor at the Clinton site.
The company could pursue an advanced nuclear reactor or a small modular reactor, according to the press release.
The Clinton Clean Energy Center first began to operate in 1987. The Clinton center has one boiling water reactor that produces around 1,100 MW, equating to providing over 800,000 homes with electricity.
