The Trump administration has given its seal of approval to a $1 billion loan that will bring back online the nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island, a plant that was shut down in 2019 due to economic reasons. The loan, which has been hailed by Energy Secretary Chris Wright as a key step towards bolstering the nation's energy infrastructure, aims to help curb rising utility costs and provide affordable, reliable, and secure energy to millions of consumers across the Mid-Atlantic region.
The plant, now renamed Crane Clean Energy Center, is expected to produce enough electricity to power about 800,000 homes and will be used to power Microsoft's data centers. Constellation Energy, the largest operator of nuclear plants in the U.S., aims to bring the reactor back online by 2027 and has secured a 20-year power-purchasing agreement with Microsoft.
The loan marks the first nuclear project to receive federal support from the Trump administration, which has been pushing for greater investment in the nuclear industry. The total cost to restart the reactor is estimated at $1.6 billion, but the loan will require Constellation to protect taxpayer money.
Energy Secretary Wright described the loan as a "huge step" towards ensuring America's energy security and said it would help support the nation's growing data center industry. With tech companies investing billions in new facilities in Pennsylvania, which is on track to become a national hub for data centers, nuclear power has emerged as a cleaner source of energy that can meet the intensive needs of these facilities.
The project comes at a time when the nation's electricity grid is facing increased pressure due to the growth of data centers. According to research cited by the Department of Energy, these facilities are projected to command up to 12% of the nation's electricity by 2028, highlighting the need for reliable and efficient sources of energy.
The restart of the Three Mile Island reactor will create about 3,400 jobs, including over 600 permanent positions, and deliver more than $3 billion in state and federal tax revenue. Joe Dominguez, president and CEO of Constellation Energy, hailed the loan as a "huge step" towards bringing hundreds of megawatts of reliable nuclear power onto the grid at this critical moment.
The plant, now renamed Crane Clean Energy Center, is expected to produce enough electricity to power about 800,000 homes and will be used to power Microsoft's data centers. Constellation Energy, the largest operator of nuclear plants in the U.S., aims to bring the reactor back online by 2027 and has secured a 20-year power-purchasing agreement with Microsoft.
The loan marks the first nuclear project to receive federal support from the Trump administration, which has been pushing for greater investment in the nuclear industry. The total cost to restart the reactor is estimated at $1.6 billion, but the loan will require Constellation to protect taxpayer money.
Energy Secretary Wright described the loan as a "huge step" towards ensuring America's energy security and said it would help support the nation's growing data center industry. With tech companies investing billions in new facilities in Pennsylvania, which is on track to become a national hub for data centers, nuclear power has emerged as a cleaner source of energy that can meet the intensive needs of these facilities.
The project comes at a time when the nation's electricity grid is facing increased pressure due to the growth of data centers. According to research cited by the Department of Energy, these facilities are projected to command up to 12% of the nation's electricity by 2028, highlighting the need for reliable and efficient sources of energy.
The restart of the Three Mile Island reactor will create about 3,400 jobs, including over 600 permanent positions, and deliver more than $3 billion in state and federal tax revenue. Joe Dominguez, president and CEO of Constellation Energy, hailed the loan as a "huge step" towards bringing hundreds of megawatts of reliable nuclear power onto the grid at this critical moment.
so like what's up with this decision? $1 billion loan for a plant that was shut down in 2019 and now they're gonna make it come back online by 2027... that's a pretty long time to keep the lights on, right? 
also, I'm not sure about this whole thing where Microsoft is paying Constellation to use the reactor... does that mean we'll be seeing more data centers popping up all over the place? 
and what's with the cost of restarting the reactor being $1.6 billion? seems like a lot of taxpayer money at stake here... 
, they're investing 1 billion bucks to bring back a nuke reactor that was shut down 6 yrs ago cuz it wasn't profitable 
. and now it's getting a sweet deal because of some big corp like microsoft 
. and also, isn't it weird that tech companies are driving the push for nukes again? shouldn't they be worried about their own carbon footprint? 
the fact that they're gonna bring back the Three Mile Island reactor is literally a dream come true for me I've been following Constellation Energy for ages and to see them get all this support from the Trump administration is just amazing 
that's like, my ultimate fave company ever! I mean, who wouldn't want their favorite company running on clean energy? 
plus, it's not like they're just any old energy source - nuclear is literally the future of clean energy 
it's a total game changer for the whole community! I'm all about supporting companies and initiatives that prioritize sustainability and innovation 
. Anyway, this loan is a big deal, no doubt about it 
...
Still, it's great to see investment in clean energy, even if it's a bit unconventional (I mean, 3.4k jobs and $3billion in tax revenue is pretty sweet 
)
just kidding, it's not like that's gonna happen again (sarcasm alert). Seriously though, $1.6 billion to bring back an old reactor is a wild ride, especially with the loan requirements being kinda shady. Taxpayer money on the line? Not cool, but I guess if it means powering more data centers and keeping the nation's energy infrastructure intact, it's all good 
️. Can't say I'm totally sold on the idea yet, but I'm open to hearing more about it