NextEra raises bet on AI with Google, Meta and gas deals

NextEra Energy, one of the world’s biggest renewable energy producers, announced a series of deals aimed at meeting surging demand for electricity to run artificial intelligence systems.

In separate statements, NextEra said Monday that it will partner with Alphabet Inc.’s Google Cloud to develop data centers across the U.S. and agreed to supply about 2.5 gigawatts of clean-energy capacity to Meta, which owns Facebook. NextEra also is buying a natural gas retailer and plans to evaluate new gas-fired power plants in the Midwest.

The flurry of announcements underscores the energy industry’s intensifying focus on technology companies’ data centers. After decades of flat demand, U.S. power use is poised to grow at an unprecedented clip in coming years.

The AI race has taken on national security implications as the U.S. faces rising competition from China and power is now recognized as a key constraint to deploying the critical technology.

“This country is at an inflection point,” NextEra Chief Executive Officer John Ketchum said during an investor day presentation Monday. “America needs affordable and reliable power.”

NextEra and Google plan to develop three campuses and are looking for additional locations. The deal follows an October agreement to restart a NextEra nuclear plant — the Duane Arnold Energy Center — in Palo to power Google data centers.

The Juno Beach, Fla.-based company also signed 11 power-purchase deals with Meta, along with two energy storage agreements. NextEra expects the clean-energy projects to enter service between 2026 and 2028. A gigawatt is roughly the output of a single nuclear reactor and can power about 750,000 homes.

NextEra is bolstering its gas capabilities by agreeing to acquire closely held Symmetry Energy Solutions, which services commercial, industrial and residential customers in 34 states and has hundreds of contracts to store and transport gas nationwide. The purchase from Energy Capital Partners is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026; terms weren’t disclosed. Talks between the companies were first reported last month by Bloomberg News.

The company also plans to explore the development of new gas-fired capacity in North Dakota, through an agreement with Basin Electric Power Cooperative.

“Competing for new data centers is all about building new electrons, not trading around existing assets,” Ketchum said.

The vast amount of electricity needed for data centers and artificial intelligence has transformed the U.S. power industry, pushing it to forge closer ties with the tech industry.

Ketchum endorsed the idea of large tech companies building their own power generation instead of simply connecting to the existing power grid, which can drive up bills for existing customers.

“It makes sense given affordability concerns,” he said. “Hyperscalers can solve that problem by bringing and paying for their own power generation and infrastructure.”