LONDONDERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM)-- The Constellation Energy Corporation announced its plan to restart the Unit 1 nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island as part of a purchase agreement with Microsoft.
Five years ago today, TMI shut down Unit 1, located near Harrisburg on the Susquehanna River, for economic reasons. The Unit 1 reactor is located adjacent to TMI Unit 2, which shut down in 1979 after a historic partial meltdown caused by a combination of human and mechanical errors.
Constellation said this 20-year power purchase agreement will not only restart the unit 1 nuclear reactor but will also pave the way for the launch of the Crane Clean Energy Center (CCEC).
Microsoft has agreed to purchase energy from the plant to match the power its data centers use with carbon-free energy.
“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,” said Joe Dominguez, president and CEO, Constellation.
“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. We are especially honored to name this new plant after our former CEO Chris Crane, who was a fierce advocate for our business, devoting his entire career to the safe, reliable operation of our nation’s nuclear fleet, and we will continue that legacy at the Crane Clean Energy Center,” he added.
Oran Henderson, director of the Pennsylvania Council of Civil Defense, answers a press question during a late news conference in Harrisburg, Pa., March 28, 1979. Henderson was speaking about the accident at the nuclear power plant near Harrisburg. At left is Lt. Gov. William Scranton III. (AP Photo/Fred Prouser)American journalist and TV news broadcaster Walter Cronkite, anchor for the 'CBS Evening News,' reports on the meltdown of a reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, 1979. Behind the news desk a map shows the scene of the accident with an atomic energy symbol. (Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)Four anti-nuclear power protestors stand holding a banner reading 'nuclear waste' on Three Mile Island near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, 1979. 1979 saw a core meltdown at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)THREE MILE ISLAND, UNITED STATES: View the site of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant 28 March 1979. The Governor of Pennsylvania ordered the evacuation of the site after nuclear activity was detected following an accident at the Nuclear plant (background). (Photo credit should read AFP/AFP via Getty Images)FILE - In this aerial photo made in a flight provided by mediccorps.org, damage from Hurricane Ian is seen on the causeway leading to Sanibel Island from Fort Myers, Fla., Sept. 30, 2022. The causeway has reopened with temporary repairs. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022 the three-mile (4.8-kilometer) causeway suffered severe damage from the Category 4 hurricane, with initial predictions that repairs could take months. Instead, the work took just three weeks. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)THREE MILE ISLAND, UNITED STATES: View the site of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant 28 March 1979. The Governor of Pennsylvania ordered the evacuation of the site after nuclear activity was detected following an accident at the Nuclear plant (background). (Photo credit should read AFP/AFP via Getty Images)Nuclear accident, nuclear powerplant "Three Mile Island" in Harrisburg, USA 1979 (Photo by Blick/RDB/ullstein bild via Getty Images)(Original Caption) 5/17/1979-Middletown, PA: John G. Kemeny, Chairman of the President's Commissionon the Accident at tbhree Mile Island, inspects a long panel of switches as he toursthe control roomat the crippled nuclear power here 5/17. He and his commission made an extended tour of the plant as they begin their investigation in to the accident which closed the plant down 3/28 and released radiation in to the air causing the evacuation of children.
Multiple steps must be taken to restart a nuclear reactor in the U.S., and this starts with a significant investment to properly restore the plant. Constellation said that restarting a nuclear power plant requires U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval, a detailed safety and environmental review, and permits from state and local agencies.
Additionally, Constellation said it will pursue a separate license renewal that will extend the plant's operations to 2054 as soon as possible.
They said that they plan to have the CCEC online in 2028.
