Meta drops out of a major clean energy pact as its natural gas buildout accelerates

Meta is no longer part of the RE100 corporate renewable energy initiative after a decade of membership, the company confirmed to TechCrunch today. The breakup was mutual, according to a Meta spokesperson. 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. The exit caps months of Meta expanding its bet on fossil fuels to power its AI data centers. RE100 is a project of the Climate Group, a UK-headquartered nonprofit co-founded by former Prime Minister Tony Blair. The initiative provides policy and technical support to corporations seeking to transition to 100% renewable energy. Meta competitors Apple, Google, and Microsoft remain among the group's 444 members. Recharge News was first to report Meta's departure. While Meta wouldn't comment on the reasons behind the departure, and the Climate Group did not reply to TechCrunch's inquiry, the nonprofit recently updated its guidance for companies, enforcing more rigorous reporting on progress toward renewable energy goals. Previously, Meta told RE100 that it would "run its entire operations on renewable electricity by 2020." Meta, through a spokesperson, told TechCrunch that it remained committed to matching its data center electricity usage "with 100% clean and renewable energy."