Key Points
- Constellation Energy and Microsoft plan to restart Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant’s Unit 1 reactor by 2028 to power AI data centers.
- The $1.6 billion project faces regulatory, supply chain, and public opposition challenges.
- The plant’s history, including the 1979 partial meltdown, highlights the importance of community engagement.
- Other tech-nuclear deals are emerging, including Amazon’s collaboration with Talen Energy.
Constellation Energy and Microsoft plan to restart the Unit 1 reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant to meet the rising energy demands of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. The $1.6 billion project aims to generate enough clean nuclear power to offset the energy consumption of Microsoft’s rapidly expanding data centers in the Pennsylvania region by 2028.
Critical to supporting AI technologies, data centers are projected to consume about 9% of the U.S.’s electricity by 2030, doubling their current power usage. As tech companies seek sustainable energy solutions, nuclear power has become a viable option due to its climate-friendly nature. The Unit 1 reactor, which operated safely for decades before its closure in 2019, is set to be restarted as part of this effort. However, restarting the plant faces significant regulatory and logistical challenges.
Three Mile Island nuclear plant gained global attention in 1979 due to a partial meltdown at its Unit 2 reactor. While Unit 2 remains permanently shut down, the reopening of Unit 1 involves a lengthy approval process from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and potential opposition from local communities. Additionally, supply chain issues, exacerbated by recent global events like the Russia-Ukraine conflict, have created obstacles, particularly with obtaining enriched uranium.
President Biden has signed legislation to streamline the NRC’s licensing process, but the sheer volume of new projects, including innovative modular reactors, puts additional pressure on the agency. Public comment periods and the challenges of reconnecting the plant to the regional power grid could delay the restart.
This isn’t the first deal between a tech company and a nuclear power provider. In March, Amazon agreed to purchase a data center next to Talen Energy’s operating nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. However, regulatory and utility company opposition over transmission costs and potential power rate increases continue to create hurdles.
Experts like nuclear safety specialist Edwin Lyman predict Constellation will encounter costly and time-consuming issues when restarting dormant equipment at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant. Environmental permits, particularly for water usage, will also be closely scrutinized.
Despite the obstacles, experts like Sola Talabi of Pittsburgh Technical believe four years is sufficient to address technical and community concerns. Given the plant’s history, strong community engagement will be vital to gaining public acceptance for the restart.
