The US will restart the nuclear power plant where the American Chernobyl happened, for Microsoft: EADaily

In the United States, one of the reactors at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, where a radioactive release occurred in 1979, will be restarted. The customer is Microsoft, which needs more and more green electricity to expand its data centers.

“Constellation has signed the largest power sales agreement in its history with Microsoft, which will restore TMI Unit 1 and keep it operating for decades. This will add approximately 835 megawatts of capacity to the grid, create 3,400 direct and indirect jobs and generate more than $3 billion in state and federal taxes. “ – Constellation reports.

The company explained that under a twenty-year contract, Constellation will restart the first unit of the nuclear power plant, which was stopped in 2019 for economic reasons.

“Under the agreement, Microsoft will purchase electricity from the retrofitted power plant as part of its goal to make the power used by its data centers in Pennsylvania CO2-free,” – reports to the American energy company.

The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant is famous for being the site of the largest nuclear power plant disaster in the United States. In 1979, there was a radioactive release from the second power unit and 2 million people were in the affected area.

According to Bloomberg, Constellation shares jumped 22% after the announcement of the deal with Microsoft. According to the agency, the facility plans to invest $1.6 billion without attracting loans or federal aid.

Meanwhile, Microsoft spent $50 billion in its last fiscal year to expand data centers, and the company needs more and more electricity.

Microsoft Vice President of Energy Bobby Hollis He said that while the extra electricity would help Microsoft meet its climate goals, it wouldn’t solve its other biggest problem: emissions from the concrete, steel and wood chips it uses. in its data centers.

Wind and solar output can fluctuate, while a nuclear power plant usually operates at a constant output and needs customers to pick up all the power, Hollis said.

Bloomberg noted that Microsoft is not the only technology giant to use nuclear power. So, Amazon agreed to spend $650 million on a data center connected to a 40-year-old Talen Energy Corp. nuclear power plant. on the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania.