LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Nuclear power plant Three Mile Island today announced plans to restart operations.
Constellation and Microsoft signed a 20-year power purchase agreement that will pave the way for the launch of the Crane Clean Energy Center (CCEC) and restart of Three Mile Island Unit 1. Microsoft will purchase energy from the CCEC in a bid to match the power its data centers use with carbon-free energy.
"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," said Bobby Hollis, VP of Energy, Microsoft.
Officials noted Unit 1 operated at industry-leading levels of safety and reliability for decades before being shut down for economic reasons exactly five years ago today.
“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, in a press release. “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.”
Unit 1 was located directly next to unit 2, which shut down after a nuclear meltdown in 1979. Unit 2 is in the process of being decommissioned, officials said.
