Is 3 Mile Island reopening to feed power hungry AI Companies?

Energy, specifically. Electrical Energy is in high demand all across the United States, and in the coming years the demand will be even higher. When I was a kid back in the 60s many of us looked toward nuclear energy to solve the problem. 

I personally was not so sure. I was always skeptical of somebody manufacturing a nuclear reactor who was the “lowest bidder”. Since then, of course, nuclear power has gone out of fashion. (Dramatically.) But now with new technologies nuclear energy may be coming back. 

Right now, at the Hanford Reservation, there is a new nuclear project in development by a private company that is generating electricity now and there is more on the way across the USA. 

With the advent of AI, the need for massive amounts of electricity is increasing. Some forecasters estimate that AI will be using up to 8% of all the electrical energy available in the United States by 2030. That brings us to a company called Constellation Energy. 

according to msm.com,
‘Constellation Energy plans to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear plant and will sell the power to Microsoft, demonstrating the immense energy needs of the tech sector as they build out data centers to support artificial intelligence.’  

This would become a great opportunity for rebranding 3 Mile Island which was the site of the biggest nuclear accident in U.S. history. Constellation wants to rename the plant the Crane Clean Energy Center. 

The plan is for Constellation to Refurbish and reactivate the “Unit 1 reactor” at Three Mile Island, which, by the way, was operating until 2019. Microsoft would then purchase that electricity on a 20 year contract to power their AI server farm. 

If approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Constellation Energy plans to spend approximately $1.6 billion to renovate and restart the ‘Unit 1 reactor’ sometime in 2028. 

Up until that time, there will be miles and miles of red tape and paperwork before they get any approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Maybe I'm a little crazy, but I wish them luck.  

I hope they succeed.
Constellation Energy to restart Three Mile Island nuclear plant, sell the power to Microsoft for AI (msn.com)
How a shuttered power plant in Michigan could pave the way for more nuclear energy (cnbc.com)