Constellation Energy announced the reopening of the Three Mile Island Unit 1, a reactor that was prematurely decommissioned in 2019 due to economic conditions. When the unit shuttered, Pennsylvania lost a major source of clean energy generation.
To meet the projected energy needs of not only the United States, but the world, we need more nuclear power, which is reliable, safe and carbon-free.
With the projected 160 percent increase in power generation that will be required by Artificial Intelligence (AI), Microsoft and Constellation Energy saw an opportunity to strike a deal that will power Microsoft’s datacenters in the region for at least twenty years. In fact, this is one of the largest power purchase agreements in history which is estimated to create 3,400 direct and indirect jobs and deliver more than $3 billion in state and federal taxes.
This news is the latest step towards an American nuclear renaissance. At a time when American support for nuclear energy is at a near record high, companies like Constellation are demonstrating not only is it possible to build and maintain new reactors, but it is possible bring back online reactors that were prematurely shut down.
American energy demand is expected to grow nearly five percent over the next five years. The bottom line: if we are to meet the needs of all Americans in guaranteeing reliable baseload power, there is no way to do so without nuclear energy.