Constellation and Meta have signed a 20-year power purchase agreement for the output of the Clinton Clean Energy Center to support Meta’s clean energy goals and operations in the region with 1,121 megawatts of nuclear energy, Constellation said on June 3.
Beginning in June of 2027, the agreement supports the relicensing and continued operations of Constellation’s high-performing Clinton nuclear facility for another two decades after the state’s ratepayer funded zero emission credit (ZEC) program expires.
The Clinton Clean Energy Center was slated for premature closure in 2017 after years of financial losses, despite being one of the best performing nuclear plants in Illinois, Constellation said.
Clinton’s retirement was prevented by enactment of the Illinois Future Energy Jobs Act, which established a Zero Emission Credit program that provides financial support to the plant through mid-2027.
"Constellation’s agreement with Meta is a market-based solution that essentially replaces the ZEC program and ensures long-term operations of the plant without ratepayer support. The PPA will enable the Clinton Clean Energy Center to continue to flow power onto the local grid, providing grid reliability and low-cost power to the region for decades to come," Constellation said.
Meta is purchasing the plant’s clean energy attributes as part of its commitment to match 100% of its electricity use with clean and renewable energy.
The agreement with Meta will allow Constellation to add more new, clean, reliable energy to the grid in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s (MISO) zone four territory, covering central and southern Illinois.
Under the deal, Clinton will add 30 megawatts of increased output from nuclear uprates.
With the guarantee that Clinton will continue to run for another two decades, Constellation is also evaluating strategies to extend the plant’s existing early site permit or seek a new construction permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to pursue development of an advanced nuclear reactor or small modular reactor (SMR) at the Clinton Clean Energy Center site.
