Meta Takes Over Where Illinois Ratepayers Left Off at the Clinton Nuclear Plant

For most of the past decade, the Clinton Clean Energy Center in central Illinois survived on state support. On June 3, 2025, Constellation Energy announced that a technology company would take over that role. Meta signed a 20-year power purchase agreement for the plant's output, beginning in June 2027, when the state's ratepayer-funded zero emission credit (ZEC) program expires. The deal is small next to the gigawatt-scale data center announcements of the past year. According to Constellation, the agreement covers 1,121 MW of emissions-free nuclear energy and "supports the relicensing and continued operations" of Clinton "for another two decades after the state's ratepayer funded zero emission credit (ZEC) program expires." It will expand Clinton's output by 30 MW through uprates, preserve 1,100 local jobs and deliver $13.5 million in annual tax revenue.

Constellation described the deal as "a market-based solution that essentially replaces the ZEC program and ensures long-term operations of the plant without ratepayer support." The ZEC program, created under Illinois' Future Energy Jobs Act, provides financial support to the plant through mid-2027. Meta said the agreement fits its strategy for meeting growing demand from AI while adding clean energy to the grid. For a hyperscaler, an existing nuclear plant offers something solar and wind cannot: around-the-clock output.

For Constellation, the deal locks in revenue for a plant that was close to closing before the state stepped in. Constellation also said that with Clinton's future assured, it is evaluating whether to extend the site's existing early site permit or seek a new construction permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to pursue an advanced reactor or small modular reactor at the site. Utility Dive cited analysis from ClearView Energy Partners suggesting that aging plants in Illinois, New York, New Jersey and other states may turn to technology companies for relicensing and operating support.