--- title: "Meta Pledged 100% Renewable Energy in 2016: 10 Years Later, It's Ditching the Plan" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/294131420.md" description: "Meta Platforms has exited the RE100 clean energy initiative, marking a shift from its 2016 pledge to use 100% renewable energy. Driven by the massive power demands of AI and data center expansion, Meta is funding natural gas plants in Ohio and Louisiana. Although Meta met its renewable goals in 2021, it now partners with fossil fuel providers to ensure reliable power supply, reflecting a broader industry trend where tech giants like Tesla are also reconsidering strict clean-energy commitments due to infrastructure needs." datetime: "2026-07-28T21:15:24.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/294131420.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/294131420.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/294131420.md) --- # Meta Pledged 100% Renewable Energy in 2016: 10 Years Later, It's Ditching the Plan The artificial intelligence boom is forcing Big Tech to rethink its clean-energy commitments. **Meta Platforms** (NASDAQ:META) is the latest example. The company behind Facebook is backing away from a major renewable energy pledge as it helps finance natural gas plants to power its expanding data center footprint. ## Data Center Growth Meta joined the **RE100** renewable energy initiative back in 2016 with a goal of reaching 100% renewable electricity for the company. Ten years later, the company and initiative have parted ways as Meta aggressively spends and partners with natural gas companies to power its data centers. It turns out powering data centers and AI ambitions requires countless amounts of power. To get that power, Meta has helped fund construction on new natural gas power plants. This includes a gas power plant in Ohio and 10 natural gas power plants in Louisiana. With the funding of natural gas power plants, Meta has quietly parted ways with RE100. A Meta spokesperson confirmed the move to TechCrunch, a move that was first reported by Recharge. News of the exit from RE100 comes after Meta met its 100% renewable energy goals in 2021, a year after its original target date of 2020. Meta told TechCrunch it remains committed to matching its data center usage with "100% clean and renewable energy." While Meta hasn’t abandoned its renewable energy initiatives, the exit from RE100 likely means the company won’t be able to be 100% compliant with the rules of the group going forward. **Read Also: Meta Platforms Q2 Preview: Key Items to Watch to Turn Stock Around After Earnings** ## Other Tech Companies According to TechCrunch, other technology giants that may be funding data centers are still part of the initiative’s membership. That list includes **Apple, Alphabet** and **Microsoft.** While the RE100 requires members to source 100% renewable electricity and report progress toward that goal, the initiative does not prohibit companies from using fossil fuels elsewhere in their operations. Still, there’s growing tension across the technology industry: companies that spent years building clean energy strategies are now rethinking their promises. Years ago, if you heard that **Tesla** CEO **Elon Musk** was buying a gas turbine company, you probably wouldn’t have believed it. But with growing power needs, Musk has ditched his pure clean energy initiatives, doing just that. Musk and **SpaceX** spent $1 billion to acquire **APR Energy**, a gas turbine company, to help power the company’s future energy needs. The power crunch fueling the next stages of AI growth is pushing even clean-energy champions like Musk toward the fastest available source — in his case, gas. **Read Also: From Google To Meta, NextEra Locks In Massive AI Power Deals** _Photo: Shutterstock_ ### Related Stocks - [META.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/META.US.md) - [TSL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSL.US.md) - [TSLZ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLZ.US.md) - [METD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/METD.US.md) - [TSLL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLL.US.md) - [METW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/METW.US.md) - [FBL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/FBL.US.md) - [METU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/METU.US.md) - [TSLT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLT.US.md) - [TSLR.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLR.US.md) - [TSLA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLA.US.md) - [TSLG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLG.US.md) - [TSLI.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLI.US.md) - [TSDD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSDD.US.md) - [TSLO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLO.US.md) - [TSLQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLQ.US.md) - [TSLS.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLS.US.md) - [TSLW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLW.US.md) - [TSLY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLY.US.md) - [TSYY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSYY.US.md) - [TYYY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TYYY.US.md) - [CRSH.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/CRSH.US.md) - [TSLP.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLP.US.md) - [MAGX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MAGX.US.md) - [FBY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/FBY.US.md) - [FBYY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/FBYY.US.md) - [07766.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/07766.HK.md) - [09366.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/09366.HK.md) - [AAPL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AAPL.US.md) - [GOOGL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/GOOGL.US.md) - [GOOG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/GOOG.US.md) - [MSFT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MSFT.US.md) - [SPCX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCX.US.md) - [NEE.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NEE.US.md) - [NEE-N.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NEE-N.US.md) - [NEE-W.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NEE-W.US.md) - [NEP.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NEP.US.md) - [NEE-R.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NEE-R.US.md) - [NEE-T.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NEE-T.US.md) - [NEE-U.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NEE-U.US.md) - [NEE-S.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NEE-S.US.md) - [NEE-V.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NEE-V.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [Meta is backing 10 gas plants – and just quit a global renewables pledge](https://longbridge.com/en/news/293978107.md) - [Meta Platforms Q2 Preview: Key Items to Watch to Turn Stock Around After Earnings](https://longbridge.com/en/news/294099452.md) - [Meta disregarded its own research on teen harm, Tennessee tells jury](https://longbridge.com/en/news/293978566.md) - [Meta likely to highlight smart glasses, avoid social media policy on upcoming earnings call, Kalshi traders say](https://longbridge.com/en/news/294089690.md) - [Newsmax Flat on Joining with Meta](https://longbridge.com/en/news/294078234.md)