Three Mile Island, site of 1979 nuclear reactor accident, reopening to power AI

Three Mile Island, the shuttered Pennsylvania nuclear energy plant that was the positioning of a 1979 reactor accident that is still the worst industrial nuclear energy plant accident in U.S. historical past, is reopening to generate energy for synthetic intelligence.

Constellation Power will restart Three Mile Island Unit 1, one of many facility’s pressurized water reactors, for the launch of the Crane Clear Power Middle, which is able to generate nuclear power bought by Microsoft to energy the corporate’s AI knowledge heart, the businesses introduced on Friday.

Underneath the settlement between the 2 corporations, Microsoft will buy power from the plant as a part of its objective to assist energy its knowledge facilities with carbon-free power.

“This settlement is a significant milestone in Microsoft’s efforts to assist decarbonize the grid in assist of our dedication to turn into carbon destructive. Microsoft continues to collaborate with power suppliers to develop carbon-free power sources to assist meet the grids’ capability and reliability wants,” stated Microsoft Vice President of Power Bobby Hollis in an announcement.

The facility buy settlement “is smart” as a result of it ensures a steady income supply for the facility plant whereas offering 24/7 emission-free electrical energy for the information heart, Jacopo Buongiorno, professor of nuclear science and engineering on the Massachusetts Institute of Expertise (MIT), informed ABC Information.

The transfer can be “additional affirmation” of the financial and environmental worth of utilizing present nuclear energy vegetation to fulfill decarbonization targets within the U.S., Buongiorno stated.

“Since constructing a brand new nuclear energy plant might be so time consuming and costly, extending the license of present vegetation or refurbishing and restarting these which have been lately shutdown is a really engaging proposition,” Buongiorno stated by way of e-mail.

The Crane Clear Power Middle (CCEC) is anticipated to create 3,400 direct and oblique jobs and add greater than 800 megawatts of carbon-free electrical energy to the grid, in keeping with a research commissioned by the Pennsylvania Constructing & Building Trades Council.

“The CCEC will assist hundreds of family-sustaining jobs for many years to return,” stated Rob Bair, president of the Pennsylvania State Constructing and Building Trades Council, in an announcement. “It’ll assist make Pennsylvania a frontrunner in attracting and retaining the varieties of dependable, clear power jobs that may outline the long run.”

Three Mile Island, situated on the Susquehanna River close to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was shuttered in 2019 for financial causes, in keeping with Constellation Power. Proprietor Exelon Corp stated in 2017 that the closing was attributable to lack of monetary rescue from the state.

On March 28, 1979, the Unit 2 reactor core on the Three Mile Island plant partially melted down when tools malfunctions, compounded by human operator errors, brought about a water pump failure that resulted in a lack of coolant to the reactor, in keeping with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Fee.

The Unit 1 reactor is adjoining to Unit 2, which was shut down after the 1979 accident and is within the technique of being decommissioned by its proprietor, Power Options, in keeping with Constellation Power.

Public assist for the restart of Three Mile Island is robust, with residents favoring it by a greater than 2-1 margin, so long as funding for the restart does not require elevated taxes or electrical energy charges, in keeping with a current ballot carried out by Susquehanna Polling & Analysis.

The nuclear power business performs a “vital function” in offering secure and dependable carbon-free power, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro stated in an announcement.

“My Administration will proceed to work to chop power prices and make sure the reliability of our power grid in order that Pennsylvanians can have entry to inexpensive energy made proper right here in Pennsylvania for years to return – and the Crane Clear Power Middle will assist us obtain these targets,” Shapiro stated.