Meta’s Nuclear Power Play Sends Energy Stocks Soaring

Roses are red, violets are blue, Big Tech needs energy, and atoms will do. MetaMETA is the latest to take the hint, inking multi-decade nuclear deals to fuel its AI ambitions. According to an executive, the agreements make the social media titan “one of the most significant corporate purchasers of nuclear energy in American history,” though rivals are racing to catch up.
- Meta has locked in power from three VistraVST plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania — securing 6.6 GW by 2035, enough to power millions of homes.
- VST surged 10.5% on the news — while OkloOKLO jumped up to 20% amid a separate partnership to develop experimental small modular reactors (SMRs).
Radon & Joule(iet): Meta’s hardly alone in the nuclear sprint. Google’sGOOGL reviving a shuttered Iowa reactor for 0.615 GW by 2029, while Amazon’sAMZN Cascade facility in Washington targets over 5 GW by 2039. Nuclear’s appeal is simple, with constant carbon-free power that solar, wind, and fossil fuels can’t match. Still, with sluggish plant construction timelines, the sector’s growth depends on SMRs that promise cheaper (and faster) construction — but none are yet commercially operating. Call it the ultimate energy moonshot.