Three Mile Island is being used to fuel Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence power needs
Nuclear Energy: Which is Better? Ask Epstein Whether Nuclear Energy is the Better Investment for Our Money or Nuclear Power for Our Country? An Empirical Viewpoint
Which would be a better investment for our money? We should be asking that question. The marketplace was told we should let it decide. The market decided, and they decided it’s not nuclear,” said Eric Epstein of the watchdog group Three Mile Island Alert.
“After being closed because of poor economics, the plant was one of the safest and most dependable nuclear plants on the grid, and we have decided to change it’s name and focus to serve as an economic engine for the state,” he said.
The power plant where the worst commercial nuclear accident in US history occurred will be able to again power Microsoft’s data centers.
Unlike power plants using fossil fuels, like coal or natural gas, nuclear plants do not directly release carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions driving global warming.
Microsoft is looking for someone who can help put together a plan for small modular reactor, which the company believes will be able to power some of its projects in the future. Bill Gates thinks nuclear energy can help solve the climate problem.
“Pennsylvania’s nuclear energy industry plays a critical role in providing safe, reliable, carbon-free electricity that helps reduce emissions and grow Pennsylvania’s economy,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said.
The Crane Clean Energy Center: A 20-Year Power Purchase Agreement for Microsoft and its Impact on U.S. Industrial and Scientific Research
The agreement will span 20 years, and the plant is expected to reopen in 2028. It will be renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center in honor of Chris Crane, who died in April and served as the CEO of Constellation’s former parent company.
The deal will create approximately 3,400 jobs and bring in more than $3 billion in state and federal taxes, according to the company. It also said the agreement will add $16 billion to Pennsylvania’s GDP.
The reactor that Microsoft plans to source its energy from was retired in 2019 for economic reasons and is located next to a unit that was shut down in 1979 after the worst US nuclear accident in history. The plant that Constellation plans to reopen can generate 837 megawatts of energy, enough to power more than 800,000 homes — demonstrating the huge amount of power needed for data centers and Microsoft’s AI ambitions.
According to the company’s website, it bills itself as America’s largest producer of clean, carbon-free energy.
The ambitious climate goals of Microsoft are at risk because of its growing greenhouse gas emissions. Microsoft is planning to build a data center in Chicago, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio that will be powered with clean energy by 2025, according to a report.
Constellation, the owner of the Three Mile Island plant, announced a power purchase agreement with Microsoft earlier today, which should see the site coming back online in 2028, assuming regulators approve it.