AMN/ WEB DESK
Three Mile Island, the site of America’s worst commercial nuclear accident, will restart operations to provide power to Microsoft’s cloud computing and artificial intelligence programs.
The 20-year agreement between Microsoft and Constellation Energy involves restarting Three Mile Island’s Unit 1 to support power grids in the mid-Atlantic states around Washington, DC, that face severe strain from data centres’ massive energy consumption. The deal was signed to enhance grid stability, considering the energy demands and increased usage of artificial intelligence.
The Three Mile Island reactor is expected to go back online in 2028. Microsoft’s vice president of energy, Bobby Hollis, termed the deal a major milestone in their commitment to become carbon negative.
In 1979, a partial meltdown of Unit 2 at Three Mile Island caused panic in the United States and brought the deployment of nuclear energy to a standstill for years.