Legendary Nuclear Plant To Be Restarted
The torrid pace at which AI data companies are seeking new energy is amazing. So is the restarting of a reactor with Three Mile Island’s history.
As a sign of how desperate American tech companies are to power AI data centers, Microsoft will restart Three Mile Island. The project will be managed by one of the nation’s largest utilities, Constellation Energy.
The Three Mile Island accident on March 28, 1979, is the only nuclear power plant meltdown in US history. Radioactive gases leaked outside the infrastructure. It was closed, but most of the buildings still exist.
The catastrophe changed how Americans felt about nuclear energy, which had been presented as an alternative to coal and oil. The US was not as energy independent as it is today.
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The work to get Three Mile Island back online is extensive. It will be completed in 2028. Constellation claims it will create over 3,000 jobs and add $3 billion to the state and federal tax payments
Investors argue it is an ideal alternative to fossil fuels. “Pennsylvania’s nuclear energy industry plays a critical role in providing safe, reliable, carbon-free electricity that helps reduce emissions and grow Pennsylvania’s economy,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said.
A Pew poll shows that about a third of Americans do not want a nuclear reactor near where they live. It is not clear how much resistance the project will get from residents.
The decision is a blow to the nascent modular nuclear reactor business. These new products are much less powerful than traditional installations. However, they can be built in different plants and then sent to a location where they are assembled. There has not been an official federal approval of the process.
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