Microsoft is moving to address the energy demands of generative AI by restarting a nuclear facility on Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania — home to an infamous nuclear meltdown incident.

On Friday, the power company Constellation Energy announced the deal, which will involve supplying electricity to Microsoft’s data centers over a 20-year period.

The agreement involves reviving Three Mile Island Unit 1, the facility next to Three Mile Island Unit 2, which suffered a partial nuclear meltdown in 1979. The near disaster is known as the worst nuclear accident in US history, although no fatalities or injuries occurred.

Unit 1, also known as TMI 1, shut down in 2019 due to a lack of funding from the state. Now Constellation Energy is preparing to revive the facility with the goal of adding “approximately 835 megawatts of carbon-free energy to the grid,” it said in the announcement. That's enough energy to power about 800,000 homes.

“Before it was prematurely shuttered due to poor economics, this 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,” added Constellation CEO Joe Dominguez in a statement.

Constellation aims to bring the facility back online in 2028. The company also plans on renaming TM1 to “Crane Clean Energy Center.” Meanwhile, TMI Unit 2 is in the process of being fully decommissioned.

The deal underscores the efforts the tech industry is undertaking to power next-generation AI applications, which is raising concerns about the potential environmental impact. In May, Microsoft released its 2024 Sustainability Report, which found that Microsoft's emissions went up 29%. It also used 23% more water, primarily due to "new technologies, including generative AI."

Financial terms of the Constellation agreement were not disclosed. But Microsoft is portraying the deal to restart TMI1 as a win for the tech industry and its pursuit of reducing carbon emissions by harnessing nuclear power.

By: DocMemory
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