The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, which closed five years ago, will be put back into operation. Owner and former operator Constellation Energy announced a corresponding agreement Friday with technology company Microsoft, which will purchase the electricity for 20 years.
According to media reports, Microsoft is relying on nuclear power from Pennsylvania to expand its highly energy-intensive AI capabilities.
Partial meltdown in 1979
According to the information, reactor block 1 will be started up. In reactor block 2 of the power plant, the worst nuclear accident in US history occurred in 1979 as a result of a partial meltdown. There were no casualties and no proven health effects for the residents. However, about 140,000 people had to temporarily leave their homes. It took six years before reactor 1, the only one in the plant, could go back online.
Constellation Energy acquired the power plant in 1999. In 2019, it still had an operating license until 2034, but had been in the red for years and was therefore closed. Reactor Bracket 1 had a capacity of 837 megawatts – enough, according to the operator, to supply more than 800,000 households with electricity. Extensive investments in the system are planned before it is put back into operation.
According to Constellation Energy, the power plant is expected to be operational again in 2028. Reactor Unit 1 “operated safely and reliably for decades before it was shut down for economic reasons exactly five years ago,” the company said. Microsoft Vice President Bobby Hollis called it a “significant milestone” for the company on its path to carbon neutrality.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
