"One of the beneficiaries of this move is likely to be Microsoft. The IT giant last year signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Constellation for electricity produced by the plant, now known as the Crane Clean Energy Center, as part of efforts to decarbonize the operation of its datacenters by securing "green" energy sources. That deal, announced in September 2024, is to restart the TMI Unit 1 reactor, which was retired from service in 2019 but never fully decommissioned."
"According to the DOE, the government loan will partially finance the restart of the 835 MW reactor, which is expected to produce enough energy to power roughly 800,000 homes, pending approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "Constellation's restart of a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania will provide affordable, reliable, and secure energy to Americans across the Mid-Atlantic region. It will also help ensure America has the energy it needs to grow its domestic manufacturing base and win the AI race," Wright said."
The Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office will offer a $1 billion loan to Constellation Energy to support restarting the Three Mile Island Unit 1 reactor, now called the Crane Clean Energy Center. The restart aims to return an 835 MW reactor to service, producing enough power for roughly 800,000 homes, pending Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval. Microsoft signed a 20-year PPA to buy electricity from the plant to decarbonize its datacenters. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the loan will lower electricity costs, strengthen grid reliability, and support domestic manufacturing and competitiveness in AI. Constellation projects earlier interconnection to PJM could speed the timeline.
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