Microsoft is getting ready to restart America’s Three Mile Island energy facility, the scene of the worst nuclear catastrophe in US history, as it searches for methods to meet its expanding energy requirements.
The Three Mile Island plant’s owner, Constellation, revealed earlier today that it had reached a power purchase agreement with Microsoft. If approved by authorities, the agreement should see the site come back online in 2028.
The reactor from which Microsoft intends to obtain its electricity was shut down in 1979 following the worst nuclear catastrophe to ever affect the United States and was deactivated in 2019 due to economic concerns.
Constellation intends to restart the facility, which can produce 837 megawatts of energy, which is more than 800,000 houses. This shows how much power is required for data centres and Microsoft’s aspirations in artificial intelligence.
The deal with Microsoft, according to Constellation, is the biggest power purchase agreement the operator of the nuclear reactor has ever inked.
“The decision here is the most powerful symbol of the rebirth of nuclear power as a clean and reliable energy resource,” Constellation CEO Joe Dominguez told investors on a call Friday morning.
Reopening the facility would generate 3,400 direct and indirect jobs, according to an economic impact assessment commissioned by the Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council, according to the news announcement.
It would supplement the current power infrastructure with an additional 837 megawatts of carbon-free electricity, enough to power over 800,000 ordinary homes.
According to the analysis, restarting the plant will also result in more than $3 billion in state and federal taxes and a $16 billion boost to the state’s GDP.
We earlier reported that General Motors and South Korean battery manufacturer Samsung SDI officially announced that they will form a joint venture to produce electric vehicle batteries in the United States.
GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra confirmed the partnership in a statement.
