Third Way Statement on Meta’s New Investments in Nuclear Energy
WASHINGTON—Today, Meta announced a series of major investments with leading nuclear industry partners to extend the operating life of current plants and expand the deployment of cutting-edge advanced nuclear throughout the United States.
The deals, which include partnerships with TerraPower, Vistra, and Oklo, are the largest such investment in nuclear energy in US history. Meta’s announcement confirms what we at Third Way have long known to be true: advanced nuclear is central to America’s energy sector and, as of today, to the future of one of the world's largest private sector firms. As energy demand surges and prices climb for working families, investments in all-of-the-above energy are more important than ever. This announcement delivers, adding clean supply to meet growing demand for electricity.
“Civilian nuclear power is fundamentally American. We invented it, operate the largest fleet in the world, and are leading in the development of advanced nuclear. Now, we need a lot more private sector investment to keep reactors operating and deploy and commercialize advanced nuclear at scale. The US should lead in nuclear deployment, just as it leads in technology and AI. Meta’s commitment to TerraPower, Vistra, and Oklo is important to keep America’s competitive edge on nuclear energy, tech, and AI,” said Josh Freed, Senior Vice President for Climate and Energy at Third Way.
Meta’s agreement with Vistra will extend the operational life of nuclear plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania and fund capacity upgrades to grow the amount of electricity generated at both plants, plus another in Pennsylvania. The agreement with TerraPower supports the deployment of two new advanced reactor units to come online in the early 2030s, with the rights to purchase six more. Meta’s partnership with Oklo will support the deployment of additional nuclear in Ohio and help secure the fuel supply chain. For more details, please click here.
Since 2013, Third Way has worked to put advanced nuclear on the map. Our leadership drove pivotal legislation for advanced nuclear development and deployment: the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA), establishment of the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, the ADVANCE Act, funding and authorization to secure the nuclear fuel supply chain, and more. We shifted the national conversation on climate policy to include nuclear energy as a viable solution, offered an all-of-the-above approach to accelerate progress, and educated policymakers and influencers on strategies to achieve our goals.