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Three Mile Island, the location of the worst-ever nuclear incident in the United States, is set to be galvanized after its owners struck a deal with Microsoft to sell power to the multinational tech giant exclusively.
Microsoft wants a clean energy source to fuel its AI aspirations so it has turned to the Pennsylvania plant with terms agreed on a 20-year plan, with the site due to open in 2028 once renovation and improvements have been carried out.
Supported by President Biden’s climate bill, the agreement is subject to final approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Constellation Energy confirmed on Friday that its Unit 1 reactor, which closed five years ago, will be the source of energy for Microsoft but stressed it was fully independent of the adjacent unit responsible for the high-profile incident five decades ago.
On March 28, 1979, the Unit 2 reactor core at Three Mile Island partially melted when equipment malfunctioned, compounded by human operator errors. This caused a water pump failure, preventing the supply of coolant to the reactor.
No injuries or fatalities occurred, but the damaging accident provoked significant mistrust and suspicion toward nuclear power in the conscience of the US public.
Constellation CEO Joe Dominguez stressed the importance of the deal, said to be the largest financial package ever secured by the company, to bolster America’s technological industries.
He said it represented a “powerful symbol of the rebirth of nuclear power as a clean and reliable energy resource”.
Bobby Hollis, Microsoft’s VP of Energy 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.
Significant Boost For Pennsylvania
The goal of net zero makes nuclear energy an increasingly attractive proposition for clean energy advocates and tech companies, given the cast resources required for power-hungry data centers. A key advantage of nuclear is that it can operate 24/7 emission-free, to produce electricity, unlike wind and solar.
Critics still point to the issue of nuclear waste, a point of contention from environmental groups as there are still no sites in the US for permanent storage of the material. Instead, it is contained at various plants across the nation, both active and dormant.
The revival of Unit 1 at Three Mile Island is expected to create around 3,400 jobs in total, adding $16 billion to Pennsylvania’s GDP in the process.
As of midday Friday, Constellation’s shares had spiked more than 16% on the back of the news.
