Meta exits RE100 as tech sector pivots to gas for AI power

Meta's exit from RE100 is the clearest signal yet that AI-driven load growth is pulling hyperscalers away from renewable-only procurement pledges. Energy Live News reported the move, noting that tech giants are turning to gas to guarantee firm capacity behind data centre loads that cannot tolerate intermittency.

The financial scale of the pivot is visible in deal flow. Reuters, citing the Wall Street Journal, reported that OpenAI issued warrants worth $5.5 billion in SB Energy as part of a power supply arrangement. Transactions of that size suggest AI developers are locking in long-dated, dispatchable generation rather than relying on spot markets or short-term PPAs.

For European power analysts, the trend has direct implications for bidding-zone price formation and grid adequacy. Aurora Energy Research's EP.299 poses the structural question: can data centres be scheduled or incentivised to flex demand in ways that offset their carbon and congestion impact, rather than simply adding flat, price-insensitive load to already-stressed zones? Per Reuters, power and cooling infrastructure suppliers are already treating the data centre build-out as a multi-year, trillion-dollar capex cycle.