Meta drops out of a major clean energy pact as its natural gas buildout accelerates
Meta has officially withdrawn from the RE100 renewable energy initiative after a decade of membership. This move follows the company's increased investment in natural gas power plants to support the massive energy demands of its growing AI data center infrastructure.
Why it matters
The departure highlights the growing tension between the massive energy requirements of AI development and corporate commitments to sustainability and carbon neutrality.
Over the past year, Meta has funded the construction of at least a dozen natural gas power plants, including one project alone that will burn enough natural gas to generate as much electricity as the entire state of South Dakota uses.
Now, Meta is no longer part of the RE100 , a corporate renewable energy initiative, after a decade of membership, the company confirmed to TechCrunch today. The breakup was mutual, according to a Meta spokesperson.
The exit caps months of Meta expanding its bet on fossil fuels to power its AI data centers and begs the obvious question: What does “clean energy” actually mean to a company that keeps building gas plants while still calling itself renewable?
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