Operations at Three Mile Island are expected to restart within four years, the latest sign that the nuclear power industry is undergoing a major shift following a wave of plant closures.
Three Mile Island Reactor 1, which opened in 1974, closed permanently in 2019 due to economic pressures from nuclear power’s difficulty competing with natural gas. But the tech industry’s growing power needs are breathing new life into the industry.
Constellation Energy Nuclear power plants will be approved by 2028 Microsoft Helping technology companies power their data centers. The plant will be renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center (named after the plant’s former owner, the late CEO of Exelon, Chris Crane), and its restart is subject to Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval.
The Energy Department said Unit 1 operated safely and efficiently before shutting down five years ago. However, it is just steps away from the site of the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history. The Unit 2 reactor suffered a partial meltdown in 1979 and has not been operating since the accident. Its owner, Energy Solutions, is decommissioning it.
Constellation Chief Generation Officer Bryan Hanson said Unit 1 is in good condition and the repair work will mostly involve typical maintenance work.
This is the plant’s main control room, the turbine deck housing the main generator, and the facility’s signature cooling tower. For more information on restarting, click here.
control room
On October 30, 2024, the control panel in the main control room of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
On October 30, 2024, Constellation Chief Power Generation Officer Bryan Hanson was in the main control room of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
On October 30, 2024, a phone call was made in the main control room of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
Part of the main control room at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, on October 30, 2024.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
Part of the main control room at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, on October 30, 2024.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
turbine deck
On October 30, 2024, part of the turbine deck at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
On October 30, 2024, part of the turbine deck at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
A switchboard on the turbine deck of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, on October 30, 2024.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
On October 30, 2024, part of the turbine deck at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
A table on the turbine deck of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, on October 30, 2024.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
cooling water tower
Details of two cooling water towers at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, on October 30, 2024.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
Electric wires and cooling towers at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, on October 30, 2024.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
Detail of the cooling water tower at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, on October 30, 2024.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
On October 30, 2024, the cooling water tower at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
—CNBC’s Danielle DeVries contributed to this report.
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