Meta Exits Key Clean Energy Initiative as Natural Gas Projects Expand

In the last year, Meta has initiated the development of at least twelve natural gas power plants, a significant project aimed at meeting all of South Dakota’s energy demands.

According to TechCrunch, Meta has officially withdrawn from the RE100 initiative, a collaborative program that has promoted renewable energy for the past decade. A Meta spokesperson characterized this exit as a collective decision.

This transition occurs as Meta increasingly turns to fossil fuels for its AI data centers, prompting an essential question: What does “clean energy” mean for a company that is building gas plants while also promoting renewable energy solutions?

RE100, established by the Climate Group—a UK nonprofit created by former Prime Minister Tony Blair—aims to direct businesses towards achieving 100% renewable energy. Competing tech giants like Apple, Google, and Microsoft continue to support this initiative, which boasts 444 member organizations. Recharge News was the first to cover Meta’s exit.

While Meta has not shared its rationale for leaving RE100 and the Climate Group has not responded to TechCrunch’s questions, the nonprofit recently revised its guidelines to require more comprehensive reporting on renewable energy progress. Initially, Meta targeted 100% renewable electricity by 2020.

Like its peers, Meta’s intensified focus on AI has led to substantial energy contracts for its data centers. Although the company still uses renewable sources, its reliance on natural gas has notably increased.

In June, Meta ventured into natural gas with a 200-megawatt behind-the-meter power plant in Ohio, aimed at supporting one of its data centers.

In August, the company revealed plans for three additional natural gas facilities in Louisiana to support its Hyperion data center. Furthermore, in April, it announced plans to invest in seven more natural gas plants for similar objectives. Collectively, these ten plants are anticipated to produce 7.5 gigawatts, exceeding South Dakota’s overall energy needs.

In a statement to TechCrunch, Meta reaffirmed its commitment to meeting its data center energy requirements with “100% clean and renewable energy.”

This statement prompts further inquiry. While natural gas emits fewer emissions than coal, it still significantly contributes to environmental pollution. A gas-powered data center with a capacity of 1 gigawatt would release 438 metric tons of nitrogen oxides, 149 metric tons of fine particulate matter, 61 metric tons of sulfur oxides, and 298 metric tons of carbon monoxide—pollutants linked to various health issues, including asthma, cancer, heart disease, and dementia.

Meta might continue to claim it uses 100% renewable energy by acquiring environmental attribute certificates, which would enable it to invest in a solar project in Arizona while operating a data center in Ohio. As long as the solar project consistently produces enough energy to meet the data center’s requirements, Meta can maintain its renewable energy claims.

While certain companies achieve their renewable energy goals through annual matching, others like Microsoft practice hourly matching for energy consumption. This meticulous approach aligns energy production with real-time data center needs, bolstering investments in projects that combine renewables with battery storage—an approach that sharply contrasts with the pollution-prone operations of Meta’s Hyperion facilities.

Meta is not alone in its investments in natural gas; both Google and Microsoft have also committed significantly to fossil fuel initiatives. However, Meta’s actions are particularly noteworthy. Although moving away from voluntary industry organizations might not attract major media attention, the timing—aligned with Meta’s increasing dependence on fossil fuels—renders this shift hard to overlook.