Meta’s Deal for Nuclear Power Is Likely Cheaper Than Microsoft’s, Jefferies Says

(Bloomberg) -- Surging demand for power to run artificial intelligence just prompted Meta Platforms Inc. to enter a 20-year contract with the biggest US nuclear operator, penning a deal that’s likely to be priced at a cheaper rate than a similar agreement rival Microsoft Corp. entered last year.

The parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp will probably be paying about $80 per megawatt hour for energy from the Clinton plant in Illinois, according to Paul Zimbardo, an analyst at Jefferies LLC, who made the forecast based on company guidance. 

That compares with the firm’s estimate of at least $110 for Microsoft’s deal for power from Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island plant. Constellation Energy Corp. operates both nuclear sites and hasn’t disclosed details for either agreement, with Chief Executive Officer Joe Dominguez saying in an interview that the contracts reflect “the fair price of reliable clean energy,” without providing more details. 

The pricing outlook for Meta and Microsoft is different because generating energy at Three Mile Island is requiring the restart of a reactor, Zimbardo said. The cost to revive the plant is estimated at $1.6 billion after it was shut in 2019 for economic reasons. Meanwhile, the Clinton site is already in operation.

“There’s a difference between a restart and a normal, operating plant,” Zimbardo said in an interview Tuesday. 

Technology companies have shown that they’re willing to pay hefty premiums for nuclear energy, which is generally more expensive than fossil-fuel generation. They’re betting that the carbon-free electricity that comes from atomic plants will help them meet their ambitious climate goals even as demand climbs to power the AI boom.

Wind and solar aren’t available all the time, but data centers are humming around the clock, and 24/7 nuclear energy meets both the power and climate needs.

“We have to recognize that some things are going to cost more than others,” said Michael Polsky, CEO of the independent power developer Invenergy LLC. He spoke at a national security conference in Washington on Tuesday.

“Nuclear will cost more than gas. So if we want nuclear power in the future, we have to admit it will cost more,” Polsky said. 

Under the Meta deal, Constellation will invest in boosting Clinton’s output. The company is also considering plans to build another reactor at Clinton, which already has federal approval for a second unit. 

Overall electricity prices in the region served by the Clinton plant have been climbing. Wholesale power climbed to $666.50 a megawatt-day for the grid operated by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator in an April capacity auction. That’s up sharply from $30 a year earlier. 

(Updates with deal details in penultimate paragraph. An earlier version corrected firm spelling in headline.)

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