Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published September 23, 2024 10:49 A.M.

(Londonderry Township, Pa) Constellation Energy announced Friday that they have plans to restart the idled Three Mile Island Reactor 1 by 2028, as long as the Nuclear Power Commission gives approval.

The TMI restart could create 3,400 direct and indirect jobs, bring in more than $3 billion in taxes annually, and add 800 megawatts of carbon-free electricity to the power grid, according to a report produced by The Brattle Group.

A 20 year agreement was made between Microsoft and Constellation Energy for Reactor 1 to serve as power for Microsoft data centers supporting Artificial Intelligence. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Bobby Hollis, Vice President of Energy for Microsoft said “This agreement is a major milestone in Microsoft’s efforts to help decarbonize the grid in support of our commitment to become carbon negative. Microsoft continues to collaborate with energy providers to develop carbon-free energy sources to help meet the grids’ capacity and reliability needs.”

Constellation plans to rename the reopened plant to “Crane Clean Energy Center”, paying respect to their former CEO Chris Crane. Constellation says they are also pursuing a license renewal from the Nuclear Power Commission to extend operation until at least 2054. President and CEO of Constellation, Joe Dominguez, says the plant is in good shape and will be a reliable power source.

“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.”

Constellation has also committed an additional $1 million to the Middletown region over the next five years for community needs and workforce development.

Pennsylvania 16th District State Representative Rob Matzie says he is in favor of the restart as it would boost clean power generation while generating billions in revenue and thousands of jobs.

“Pennsylvania is a net exporter of power generation, but our power grid is facing demands like never before in our history. Restarting Reactor 1 at Three Mile Island gives us more capacity and more flexibility to face demands – it’s not just clean power generation, it’s billions in tax revenue and thousands of good-paying jobs to boot, with even more jobs created in supporting industries.”

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has also weighed in on the announcement stating “Under the careful watch of state and federal authorities, the Crane Clean Energy Center will safely utilize existing infrastructure to sustain and expand nuclear power in the Commonwealth while creating thousands of energy jobs and strengthening Pennsylvania’s legacy as a national energy leader.”

TMI Reactor 1 was shut down in 2019 with plans to decommission it when former owner Exelon Generation experienced financial struggles operating the facility. The reactor was transferred to Constellation Energy in 2021. Reactor 2 ceased operations in 1979 when it was the site of a partial meltdown ranked as the worst United States nuclear power accident in history. It is now owned by EnergySolutions, who plans to continue to fully decommission and demolish the separate plant in coming years.

Nuclear power is nothing new to Beaver County residents, as the world’s first commercial nuclear power plant began operations in 1957 at the now decommissioned Shippingport Atomic Power Station, next to the current Beaver Valley Power Station.