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Three Mile Island nuclear plant to reopen, sell power to Microsoft

/ CBS/AFP

U.S. nuclear plant Three Mile Island, the site of the worst nuclear accident in American history, is to restart operations in a deal to sell power to Microsoft, Constellation Energy said Friday.

The firm announced the 20-year deal would involve the restart of the Unit 1 reactor, "which operated at industry-leading levels of safety and reliability for decades before being shut down for economic reasons exactly five years ago today."

Microsoft will buy energy from the plant as part of its goal to help match the power its data centers use with carbon-free technology, according to a . The reactor is expected to be online in 2028, pending approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

In a statement, Constellation Energy CEO Joe Dominguez said the "plant was among the safest and most reliable nuclear plants on the grid, and we look forward to bringing it back with a new name and a renewed mission to serve as an economic engine for Pennsylvania."

Georgia Institute of Technology nuclear science professor Anna Erickson, a nuclear energy expert, says demand for energy is exploding in part due to artificial intelligence.

"AI requires energy that is 24-7," Erickson told CBS News. "And the nuclear power is one of the best sources to provide that consistent need for energy."

An economic impact study commissioned by the Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council found that reopening the plant will create 3,400 direct and indirect jobs, according to the news release. It would also add up to 837 megawatts of carbon-free electricity to the power grid that can power more than 800,000 average homes.

The plant's restart will also add $16 billion to the state's GDP and generate more than $3 billion in state and federal taxes, according to the report. 

The Unit 1 reactor was not involved in the 1979 partial nuclear meltdown at the site in Pennsylvania. "Significant investments" are being made to restore the reactor, including updating its turbine, generator, cooling and control systems and main power transformer, according to the news release.

The plant will be renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center, in honor of former Constellation Energy CEO Chris Crane, who died in April. 

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