Meta and Microsoft Corporation Launch Energy Plans to Offset Data Center Costs
Meta Platforms Incorporated and Microsoft Corporation are investing in nuclear energy and utility cost-sharing to prevent data center expansions from raising electricity rates for local residents.
Tech giants Meta Platforms Incorporated and Microsoft Corporation have introduced initiatives to mitigate the utility costs and environmental impacts of their expanding data center footprints. These moves follow significant public backlash in Ohio and North Carolina, where residents have cited data center growth as a primary driver of rising electric and water bills.
Meta is partnering with nuclear energy company Oklo to build small-scale reactors in Pike County, Ohio, at the site of the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. This project aims to generate 1.2 gigawatts of power for the electric grid and the Prometheus data center in New Albany, marking the first new nuclear power generation in Ohio since the 1970s. Meta is also investing in the Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear plants. The United States Department of Energy is currently cleaning up the Portsmouth site due to historical radioactive contamination.
Simultaneously, Microsoft Corporation is investing $1 billion in Catawba County, North Carolina. The company committed to a "pay its own way" strategy, covering electricity, water, and building costs to ensure its infrastructure does not increase local utility rates for residents. This approach focuses on utility rates that reflect actual usage and strategic partnerships for AI training.
