Restarting Three Mile Island: Quick Facts

Quick Facts

On September 20, 2024, Constellation Energy entered a 20-year agreement with Microsoft to restart Three Mile Island’s (TMI) unit one reactor, renaming the facility “Crane Clean Energy Center.”
Constellation Energy provided the following data, stating reopening TMI unit one will:
- Supply an added 835 megawatts to the grid.
- Create 3,400 direct and indirect jobs.
- Deliver $3 billion in state and federal taxes.
- Add $16 billion to Pennsylvania’s GDP.
Microsoft entered into this agreement to help meet the energy demand of its data centers on the PJM Interconnection, the grid manager for 13 states (including Pennsylvania) and the District of Columbia.
Nuclear power provides thirty-two percent of Pennsylvania’s current power generation mix.
Pennsylvania has nine nuclear reactors and is second only to Illinois in nuclear power generation.
Nuclear power is the most reliable zero-carbon-emitting energy source available.

The deal between Constellation and Microsoft, made possible through private investment, demonstrates that Pennsylvania does not need subsidies for nuclear power. The tech industry knows it cannot depend on government subsidies and schemes to provide more reliable energy for the new wave of data centers powering our economy.
Grid operators continue to sound the alarm on their inability to meet the ever-increasing demands for power. We need more reliable power from baseload and dispatchable energy sources (nuclear, natural gas, coal) to meet demand and maintain or improve grid reliability.
Lawmakers should resist subsidies and central planning initiatives and instead adopt legislation prioritizing reliable and affordable energy—with source-neutral language—allowing all sources to compete on equal terms to meet our energy demand and capacity needs.