Microsoft strikes deal to reopen Three Mile Island nuclear plant
Nuclear energy operator Constellation Energy will reopen the Three Mile Island facility in Pennsylvania, the site of a 1979 partial nuclear meltdown, as part of a deal with Microsoft to power data centers.
In the announcement Friday, Constellation said Microsoft has agreed to buy 20 years’ worth of power from the operator beginning in 2028. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission must review and approve the decision before the plant reactor can be restarted. The agreement involves the plant’s second reactor, which was unaffected by the 1979 accident and continued to operate for decades after.
The 1979 partial meltdown was the worst in the history of U.S. commercial nuclear generation and, although it did not cause any deaths, exacerbated public concerns around the safety of nuclear power, along with the much costlier and deadlier Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union seven years later. The plant was retired due to declining revenues in 2019.
“Powering industries critical to our nation’s global economic and technological competitiveness, including data centers, requires an abundance of energy that is carbon-free and reliable every hour of every day, and nuclear plants are the only energy sources that can consistently deliver on that promise,” Constellation CEO Joe Dominguez said in a statement.
“Before it was prematurely shuttered due to poor economics, this plant was among the safest and most reliable nuclear plants on the grid, and we look forward to bringing it back with a new name and a renewed mission to serve as an economic engine for Pennsylvania,” he added.
The announcement comes as part of a broader renaissance in commercial nuclear power as lingering Cold War-era anxieties have given way to demand for reliable carbon-free sources of power. That demand is particularly acute in the case of artificial intelligence data centers, which currently comprise up to 1.5 percent of electricity use worldwide, according to an analysis by the International Energy Agency.
Date: | |
Tag: | Microsoft |
Topics
-
CBS News - Top stories
U.S. nuclear plant Three Mile Island to reopen, sell power to Microsoft
The firm announced the 20-year deal would involve the restart of the plant's Unit 1 reactor, which was shut down half a decade ago.5 hours ago - Microsoft -
The Wall Street Journal - Business
Three Mile Island's Nuclear Plant to Reopen, Help Power Microsoft's AI Centers
The 20-year deal with Constellation Energy would kick-start the site of the nation’s worst nuclear accident.7 hours ago -
Inc. - Business
Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant to Restart After Microsoft AI Power Deal
The huge power demands spurred by the AI revolution spur a drive to find new energy sources, rompting a reboot for the 1979 site of America's worst nuclear accident.57 minutes ago - Microsoft -
Financial Times - Business
Microsoft in deal for Three Mile Island nuclear power to meet AI demand
Energy source enjoying renaissance as world looks to slash emissions and feed rapidly growing need40 minutes ago - Microsoft -
CNBC - Business
Constellation Energy to restart Three Mile Island nuclear plant, sell the power to Microsoft for AI
Constellation described the agreement with Microsoft as the largest power purchase agreement that the nuclear plant operator has ever signed.2 hours ago - Microsoft -
NBC News - Top stories
Three Mile Island nuclear plant to help power Microsoft's data-center needs
A unit of Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island nuclear plant will be restarted as part of a new energy-sharing agreement with Microsoft, which plans to use it to power the data centers it operates as ...4 hours ago -
The New York Times - World
Three Mile Island Plans to Reopen as Demand for Nuclear Power Grows
The infamous plant, closed since 2019, is getting a new lease on life after Microsoft agreed to buy its electricity to supply a growing fleet of data centers.7 hours ago -
The Guardian - World
Three Mile Island nuclear reactor to restart to power Microsoft AI operations
Pennsylvania plant was site of most serious nuclear meltdown and radiation leak in US history in 1979. A nuclear reactor at the notorious Three Mile Island site in Pennsylvania is to be activated ...40 minutes ago - Microsoft -
Financial Times - Business
Israel kills elite Hizbollah commanders in Beirut strike, IDF says
Air strike on Ibrahim Aqil and Radwan Force follows a wave of deadly blasts in Lebanon53 minutes ago - Israel
More from The Hill
-
The Hill - Politics
Putin's conceptual error: A language does not a nation make
Russian President Vladimir Putin's belief that Russians and Ukrainians are one people is based on a highly inaccurate reconstruction of Russian and Ukrainian history, and the shared language of the ...40 minutes ago -
The Hill - Politics
Red states ask court to reject Google privacy settlement
A group of Republican-led states have asked a U.S. appeals court to reject a $62 million consumer privacy settlement with Google, citing large amounts of money awards going to class members' ...44 minutes ago - Google -
The Hill - Politics
Nate Silver finds Harris with edge on Trump for first time since Aug. 28
Vice President Harris has taken the lead in pollster Nate Silver's election forecast and model for the first time since Aug. 28. Harris now leads in the polling aggregation with 48.9 percent to ...1 hour ago - Donald Trump -
The Hill - Politics
A lesson for CBS: Live fact-checking is incompatible with good debate moderation
ABC News moderators Lindsey Davis and David Muir fact-checked former President Donald Trump during a presidential debate, raising questions about the impartiality of media network debate events and ...1 hour ago -
The Hill - Politics
Jill Biden: 'We have to have a peaceful transfer of power' in January
First lady Jill Biden emphasized the importance of a “peaceful transfer of power” in January in an article from NBC News that published Friday. “I think we have to vote. As Americans, you know, ...1 hour ago