Microsoft signs deal with owner of Three Mile Island: nuclear power for its AI data centers
Microsoft has signed a 20-year deal with Constellation Energy, which will invest $1.6B in restarting its Three Mile Island nuclear plant for AI datacenters.
Microsoft has just signed a 20-year deal with Constellation Energy, the owner of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania, and once revived, will provide clean energy to Microsoft and its AI data center and cloud computing needs for 20 years.
Three Mile Island has two nuclear reactors: the first with a capacity of 906 MW was shut down back in 1979 after the "Three Mile Island nuclear incident" that I'm sure you've heard of (if not, you should read into it). The other, has a capacity of 819 MW and was closed in 2019 over economic issues, but will now be restarted thanks to the deal with Microsoft.
Constellation Energy will invest $1.6 billion in restarting the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor, a process that had been in development since early 2023 when the company looked at the feasibility of bringing the nuclear reactor back online. After it decided to go ahead and restart the nuclear reactor, it began talking with potential buyers... with Microsoft showing immediate interest, and now the deal is inked (and for 20 years).
Constellation Energy will be upgrading essential equipment of its nuclear reactor, including the main transformer, turbine, and cooling systems. The nuclear reactor will need to be fully restaffed, with Constellation Energy looking to seek approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend Three Mile Island's nuclear reactor operating license all the way through to 2054.
The unstoppable surge of AI is prompting companies to look for new ways -- or in some cases, in this case, old ways with new leases on life thanks to AI -- which is leading companies into the arms of nuclear power. It's like the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining craze, you've got to get the immense power from somewhere... and nuclear power is it.
Bobby Hollis, VP of Energy at Microsoft, said: "This agreement is a major milestone in Microsoft's efforts to help decarbonize the grid in support of our commitment to become carbon negative. Microsoft continues to collaborate with energy providers to develop carbon-free energy sources to help meet the grids' capacity and reliability needs".
