Meta leaves RE100 clean energy pact amid gas plant buildout

Meta Platforms ↗ 1.02% has left the RE100 renewable energy initiative after a decade of membership, the company confirmed this week, as it accelerates a multibillion-dollar buildout of natural gas power plants to fuel its artificial intelligence ambitions.ai-deep-signal+2

A Mutual Split

The departure, which a Meta spokesperson described as mutual, comes as the company finances the construction of 10 gas-fired power plants in Louisiana capable of generating roughly 7.5 gigawatts of electricity — enough to power the entire state of South Dakota. Meta told TechCrunch it remains committed to "aligning data center energy use with 100% clean and renewable energy" through the purchase of environmental attribute certificates, even without RE100 membership.zamin+2

RE100 is a global corporate initiative whose members pledge to source 100% renewable electricity. Meta joined roughly a decade ago and had previously reported achieving 100% renewable energy matching for its operations in 2020. But the company's AI-driven energy demands have outpaced what renewables alone can deliver on the timeline it needs.linkedin

Gas Plants Stack Up

Meta's fossil fuel expansion began with a 200-megawatt gas plant in Ohio announced in mid-2025, followed by three large plants in Louisiana approved by regulators in August 2025. In March 2026, Entergy ↘ 1.91% Louisiana revealed that Meta would fund seven additional gas plants for the Hyperion data center campus in Richland Parish, bringing the total to 10 plants at a projected cost of nearly $11 billion. Meta is also paying for 240 miles of new transmission lines and battery storage systems.tomshardware+2

The plants are expected to emit roughly 12.4 million metric tons of CO2 annually, according to TechCrunch's calculations.techcrunch

Renewables Still in the Mix

Despite the gas expansion, Meta continues signing renewable energy deals. Lightsource bp and Meta have finalized a long-term power purchase agreement to support the 172 MWdc Mowata Solar project in Acadia Parish, Louisiana. Meta also recently partnered with CleanMax on 837 megawatts of wind and solar in India and signed a 600-megawatt solar deal with Enbridge ↘ 0.10% in Texas.lightsourcebp+3

The contrast between Meta's renewable procurement and its gas buildout underscores a tension facing the tech industry: AI's surging power demands are running headlong into decarbonization pledges, and companies are choosing to build fossil fuel capacity now rather than wait for clean alternatives to scale.