Three Mile Island Is “Ahead of Schedule.” Here’s Why This Is Good News.

Three Mile Island—the previously shuttered nuclear reactor and soon to be the Crane Clean Energy Center—is “ahead of schedule,” according to spokespeople.

Why Is This Great News?

This is great news for several reasons:

• Nuclear energy provides baseload power—the reliable, uninterrupted energy supply that powers our grid’s primary needs. The revitalized nuclear site will provide upwards of 835 megawatts to the grid—roughly the same amount of energy needed to power 800,000 homes.
• An economic impact study estimates that the revitalized reactor site will employ about 600 full-time, high-paying jobs and add $16 billion to Pennsylvania’s economic output.
• Private investment, not public subsidies, drives the current project. As the biggest financial backer, Microsoft agreed to a 20-year purchasing agreement with the site. David Marcheskie, the project’s community relations representative, said the tech giant is “critical to powering the relaunch of the reactor.”

The Need for Regulatory Reform

This project still faces one major hurdle: regulatory approval.

Currently, the project awaits approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the federal agency that regulates nuclear energy) and PJM Interconnection (the regional transmission organization that manages the grid for Pennsylvania and 12 other states plus the District of Columbia).

Thankfully, some lawmakers are trying to fast-track the approval. Gov. Josh Shapiro requested that PJM allow the project to skip the “regulatory queue.”

But rather than pick and choose winners and losers, lawmakers—both at the federal and state levels—must address the regulatory burden that energy producers face. After permitting and construction, nuclear plants can take upwards of 20 years to go online.

And this regulatory burden isn’t limited to just nuclear power. Other reliable and affordable energy sources, such as natural gas, endure excessive government regulations and mandates. Without comprehensive regulatory reform, reliable and cost-effective energy will remain bogged down in costly red tape.

The Three Mile Island restart offers a tremendous opportunity to show what permitting reform can do if lawmakers and regulators allow it.

Want to Learn More?

For more information on Three Mile Island, please read the following:

• “Restarting Three Mile Island: Quick Facts,” (published by the Commonwealth Foundation).
• “We Need More Three Mile Islands,” by André Béliveau (published by Reason).
• “Three Mile Island Demonstrates the Value of Free Markets,” by Stephen Bloom (published by RealClearPennsylvania).
• “Private Investment—Not Subsidies—Will Empower Pennsylvania’s Nuclear Energy,” by André Béliveau (published by Penn Live).