Constellation Energy Corp. announced Friday morning that the former Three Mile Island power plant will restart its Unit 1 nuclear reactor as part of a deal with Microsoft. “Unit 1 here has a great legacy,” said Dave Marcheschi, director of community relations for Constellation Energy Corp. “This unit has been in operation for 45 years — excellent performance and reliability.” The Unit 1 reactor was shut down five years ago for economic reasons. The restart comes as Microsoft has signed a 20-year deal with Constellation Energy Corp. to provide power for Microsoft’s data centers. The deal paves the way for what the companies call the Crane Clean Energy Center. Constellation says it expects the refurbished power plant to be operational in 2028. However, some community members and observers believe there are public health and safety concerns that need to be addressed. “I’m convinced that the governor, the legislature and labor are very supportive of this, but I think they’re moving too quickly without proper inspection and oversight,” said Eric Epstein. He is the former president of Three Mile Island Alert, a group that promotes safe energy alternatives to nuclear power. Local leaders acknowledged the cautious reaction from some residents but pointed to the significant tax revenue boosts that could accompany the restart. “We are thinking very positively about reopening here,” said Londonderry Township Supervisor Anna Deal. “We are aware that a lot of our residents have concerns because we are people who have been here since the accident and we have real concerns about safety.” The plan will need to be approved by a number of agencies, including the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission TMI Restart Plan Constellation plans to make significant investments to restore: The plant’s turbines The generator The primary power transformer Cooling and control systems Restarting the nuclear reactor will require: Approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission A comprehensive safety and environmental review Permits from relevant state and local agencies Constellation will seek a license renewal to extend the plant’s operations through at least 2054. Company leaders have issued statements Constellation Chairman and CEO Joe Dominguez | “Powering industries vital to our nation’s global economic and technological competitiveness, including data centers, requires abundant, reliable, carbon-free energy every hour of every day, and nuclear power plants are the only energy sources that can consistently deliver on that promise. … Before it was prematurely closed due to a weak economy, this plant was among the safest and most reliable nuclear power plants on the grid, and we look forward to bringing it back with a new name and renewed mission to serve as an economic engine for Pennsylvania. We are especially proud to name this new plant after our former CEO Chris Crane, who was a fierce advocate for our business and dedicated his entire career to the safe and reliable operation of our nation’s nuclear fleet, and we will continue that legacy at the Crane Center for Clean Energy.” Bobby Hollis, Microsoft’s Vice President of Energy | “This agreement is a major milestone in Microsoft’s efforts to help decarbonize the grid in support of our commitment to becoming carbon negative. Microsoft continues to collaborate with energy providers to develop carbon-free energy sources to help meet grid capacity and reliability needs.” Three Mile Island History: America's Worst Nuclear Accident Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Dauphin County partially melted down on March 28, 1979. A combination of equipment failure, design issues, and worker error led to the partial meltdown. The accident prompted major changes in: Emergency response planning Operator training Radiation protection Other areas of nuclear power plant operations The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission increased its oversight because of the accident. Unit 2 was permanently shut down after the accident. Cleanup officially ended in December 1993. Below: Archive video, 1979 – Met-Ed officials announce the partial meltdown.
The former Three Mile Island power plant will restart its Unit 1 nuclear reactor as part of a deal with Microsoftthe Constellation Energy Company It was announced Friday morning.
“The first unit here has a great legacy,” said Dave Marcheschi, Constellation’s director of community relations. “This unit has been in service for forty-five years – excellent performance and reliability.”
The Unit 1 reactor was shut down five years ago for economic reasons. The restart comes as Microsoft has signed a 20-year deal with Constellation to provide power to Microsoft’s data centers.
The agreement paves the way for what the companies are calling the Crane Clean Energy Center.
Constellation says it expects the refurbished power plant to be operational in 2028.
However, some community members and regulators believe there are public health and safety concerns that need to be addressed.
“I am absolutely convinced that the governor, the legislature and the workers are very supportive of this, but I think they are moving too quickly without proper inspection and oversight,” said Eric Epstein.
He is the former chairman of Three Mile Island Alert, a group that promotes safe energy alternatives to nuclear power.
Local leaders acknowledged a cautious reaction from some residents, but noted that there would be significant increases in tax revenue that would accompany the reopening.
“We are very positive about reopening this place,” said Londonderry Town Supervisor Anna Dale. “We understand that many of our residents have concerns because we have been here since the incident and we have real concerns about safety.”
The plan will need to be approved by a number of agencies, including the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
TMI Restart Plan
- Constellation plans to make significant investments to restore:
- Station turbines
- generator
- Main power adapter
- Cooling and control systems
- Restarting a nuclear reactor requires the following:
- US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Approval
- Comprehensive Safety and Environmental Review
- Permits from relevant government and local authorities
- Constellation will seek to renew the license to extend the plant's operations until at least 2054.
Company leaders issue statements
Constellation CEO Joe Dominguez | “Powering industries vital to our nation’s global economic and technological competitiveness, including data centers, requires abundant, reliable, carbon-free energy every hour of every day, and nuclear power plants are the only energy sources that can consistently deliver on that promise… Before it was prematurely closed due to a weak economy, this plant was among the safest and most reliable nuclear power 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 and dedicated his entire career to the safe and reliable operation of our nation’s nuclear fleet, and we will continue that legacy at the Crane Clean Energy Center.”
Microsoft's Vice President of Energy, Bobby Hollis | “This agreement represents a major milestone in Microsoft’s efforts to help decarbonize the grid in support of our commitment to becoming carbon-neutral. Microsoft continues to collaborate with energy providers to develop carbon-free energy sources to help meet the capacity and reliability needs of grids.”
3MI Island History: The Worst Nuclear Accident in American History
- The Unit 2 reactor at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Dauphin County partially melted down on March 28, 1979.
- A combination of equipment failures, design problems, and worker errors led to the partial collapse.
- The incident led to major changes in:
- Emergency Response Planning
- Operator training
- radiation protection
- Other areas of nuclear power plant operations
- The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has increased its oversight because of the incident.
- The second unit was permanently closed after the accident.
- The cleanup officially ended in December 1993.
Below: Archive video, 1979 – Metropolitan University officials announce partial collapse.
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