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Three Mile Island is not back online. Constellation Energy is seeking to restart Unit 1, renamed the Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center, and says it expects the reactor to return to service in 2027. Microsoft’s 20-year agreement to buy its output helped make the costly project commercially viable amid rising data-center electricity demand. But regulatory approvals, inspections and restoration work remain, so the target is not a guarantee.
First, which Three Mile Island?
The proposed restart concerns Unit 1, not the reactor involved in the 1979 accident. Three Mile Island had two reactors: Unit 2 suffered a partial meltdown on March 28, 1979, and is not part of this restart plan. Unit 1 began commercial operation in 1974 and shut down on September 26, 2019, after Constellation said it was no longer economic to operate. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection distinguishes the accident-damaged Unit 2 from the Unit 1 restart proposal (Pennsylvania DEP).
The NRC approved renaming Unit 1 the Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center in 2025. The new name does not change the fact that it is a restart of an existing reactor that has been shut down for years—not a newly built plant and not a reopening of Unit 2.
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In September 2024, Microsoft and Constellation announced a 20-year power-purchase agreement covering about 835 megawatts of generation from the proposed restarted unit. Constellation owns and would operate the facility; Microsoft is the contracted buyer of its electricity. The companies framed the deal as a way to help match electricity used by Microsoft data centers in the PJM regional grid with carbon-free nuclear generation (Constellation’s announcement; SEC-filed exhibit).
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That is not the same as a dedicated line carrying Three Mile Island electricity straight to a particular Microsoft AI facility. The public deal description is a purchase and grid-matching arrangement; it does not establish that Microsoft’s servers will receive only electrons from this reactor, or that all of the output will be used for AI. Electricity flows across the interconnected grid, while contracts identify who buys generation and how companies account for their power procurement.
The distinction matters because headlines can make the deal sound more literal than it is. Microsoft’s agreement gives Constellation a long-term customer for the output if the restart succeeds. It supports Microsoft’s effort to match data-center demand with low-carbon generation, but it does not mean Microsoft owns the plant or physically controls it.
Why AI demand changes the economics
AI training and inference run on server clusters and accelerators that draw substantial electricity. Data centers also need dependable power around the clock: demand does not stop when the sun sets or the wind drops. Nuclear plants can provide continuous electricity without the direct carbon emissions associated with burning fossil fuels at the plant, making their output valuable to companies seeking both reliable supply and lower-carbon power.
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That does not mean AI is the sole reason for the project. Unit 1 closed in 2019 for economic reasons; the long-term Microsoft contract, wider growth in electricity demand, corporate clean-energy goals, grid reliability concerns and federal financing all affect the current case for attempting a restart. The deal is a notable example of technology-sector demand potentially supporting an existing nuclear asset, not proof that every new data center will be powered by a reactor or that this plant’s entire output serves AI workloads.
The commonly cited 835 MW figure is electrical generation. The NRC lists the reactor’s licensed thermal capacity as 2,568 MWt, a different measure of heat produced in the reactor and not the amount of electricity sent to the grid (NRC facility page).
Restarting means rebuilding a regulatory and operating case
A previously operating reactor cannot simply be switched back on after years out of service. Constellation must restore the plant’s operating licensing basis, bring components and systems back to a condition that supports safe operation, and complete upgrades and testing required for the proposed basis. NRC staff review licensing documents and conduct inspections, including work involving plant systems, the simulator and security. The NRC has established a restart panel to coordinate its review and inspection work.
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Constellation has described restoration work on major equipment and systems including the turbine, generator, main power transformer, cooling systems and controls; these are company-described project tasks, not evidence that every item is complete (Associated Press). The owner must also secure applicable state and local permits. The NRC’s restart process and current status are summarized on its Crane Clean Energy Center page.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsUnit 1’s fuel and equipment history also differ from an operating reactor’s ordinary maintenance cycle. The NRC says spent fuel from the shutdown period has been moved into dry storage. The owner still has to demonstrate that the systems needed for operation are ready and that the regulator’s requirements are met.
Where approvals stand
As of August 18, 2026, the facility remains shut down and the restart is still a project in review, not an operating plant. Constellation’s stated target is return to service in 2027. The NRC’s docketing of restart-related license amendments is not approval on the merits; the agency explicitly warns that docketing does not predict whether it will ultimately approve them (NRC notice, February 24, 2026).
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The environmental review is also not complete until the NRC issues its final determination. Constellation submitted an Environmental Report on October 31, 2025. The NRC issued a draft Environmental Assessment and draft Finding of No Significant Impact on June 3, 2026, and the comment period ended July 8. The NRC projected a final assessment and finding for September 2026; until that decision is issued, it should not be described as final. An Environmental Assessment, rather than an automatic full Environmental Impact Statement, was the review path selected for the proposed actions.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| September 20, 2024 | Microsoft and Constellation announce the 20-year power-purchase agreement. |
| May 13, 2025 | NRC approves the facility name change to Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center. |
| November 2025 | Constellation reports federal financing support for the restart. |
| February 24, 2026 | NRC announces a hearing opportunity related to restart license amendments and clarifies that docketing is not approval. |
| June 3–July 8, 2026 | NRC releases a draft environmental assessment and receives public comments. |
| September 2026 (projected) | NRC expects to issue its final environmental determination. |
| 2027 (company target) | Constellation expects the reactor to return to service, subject to approvals and completion of work. |
The cost, financing and public-interest questions
Public reporting has put the estimated restart cost at about $1.6 billion; that is an estimate, not a final project bill, and costs can change as work proceeds. Constellation reported in November 2025 that the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing had guaranteed up to $1 billion for an unsecured Federal Financing Bank loan to support financing the project. The company said the loan would mature in October 2055 and that the restart remained subject to regulatory approvals (Constellation disclosure). A loan guarantee is not a $1 billion grant, nor does it amount to NRC permission to operate.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Constellation has projected about 3,400 direct and indirect jobs and more than $3 billion in state and federal taxes associated with the project. Those are company estimates, not realized outcomes. A restart could sustain skilled trades and add generation to a region with growing electricity needs, but public-interest questions remain: how costs and risks are allocated, what happens to electricity prices and grid reliability, how cooling-water use and thermal discharge are managed, and how nuclear waste is stored. The existence of a corporate buyer does not settle those questions.
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There is also an accounting-versus-physical-delivery issue. A contract can support a company’s clean-energy procurement claims without proving that every hour of its data-center consumption is matched to this plant’s output, or that its facilities receive physically traceable power from it. The published descriptions establish the PPA and a goal of matching data-center use in PJM; they do not specify an hourly matching methodology. Nor does carbon-free generation at the reactor make the full lifecycle or supply chain of AI computing emissions-free.
What to watch next
- The NRC’s final environmental determination: the agency projected this for September 2026; the draft finding is not the final decision.
- License amendments and hearing process: docketing and a hearing opportunity are procedural steps, not permission to restart.
- Restoration and inspection results: key equipment and safety programs must be demonstrated ready, not merely announced as work in progress.
- Other permits and operating authorizations: state and local requirements, NRC approvals and final steps before fuel loading and power operation all matter.
- Schedule and cost: 2027 remains Constellation’s target, while the project’s final cost and completion date remain contingent on the work and reviews.
Three Mile Island Unit 1 is therefore a test case for whether technology companies’ appetite for firm, lower-carbon electricity can make existing nuclear plants worth restoring. Microsoft’s contract helps create the market incentive. Whether the reactor actually returns—and on what terms for the grid, customers and public—depends on the engineering and regulatory work still ahead.
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