Three Mile Island set to deliver nuclear power a year early
The site could restart as early as 2027 instead of the original projection of 2028. It will deliver electricity to Microsoft for its AI systems.
Constellation Energy Corp.’s efforts to restart the Three Mile Island plant are moving faster than expected, with the company now saying the Pennsylvania nuclear site will begin producing power earlier than forecast.
The project could restart as early as 2027, the company said in a statement Wednesday. That compares with the original projection of 2028. The earlier outlook comes partly as the project is able to connect faster than was expected onto the grid operated by PJM Interconnection LLC.
Three Mile Island is one of two U.S. nuclear plants that were shut down in recent years for economic reasons, but are now being revived to meet surging demand for power. Once operational, it will deliver electricity to Microsoft Corp., which needs carbon-free energy for its artificial intelligence systems.
“We made a mistake shutting this plant down,” Constellation chief executive officer Joe Dominguez said at event on Wednesday held at the plant site. “You just have to watch the grid the last few days to know how much we need this,” he said, referring to a heat wave sweeping the U.S. that has strained power supplies.
U.S. interest in nuclear energy is booming, driven by the growing need for electricity to power data centers, factories, and increasingly electrified homes. New York announced on Monday plans to build a new reactor in the state, and Holtec International is working to restart the Palisades plant in Michigan, which shut down in 2022. In May, President Donald Trump signed orders to help accelerate the construction of nuclear power plants.
Three Mile Island has been renamed the Crane power plant, honoring a CEO of Constellation’s former parent company who died in 2024. Constellation is working to restart the Unit 1 reactor, which shut down in 2019. Unit 2, which was the site of a partial meltdown in 1979, is being decommissioned.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro attended Wednesday’s event at the plant site.
“In Pennsylvania, we’re taking big, bold, decisive steps to build new sources of energy,” Shapiro said. “I’m excited about how this power plant will reopen.”