Recently Microsoft Plans to Open Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant for AI Data Centre
According to a recent power purchase agreement by Constellation Energy, the current owner of the Three Mile Island facility, Microsoft has signed a 20-year deal to bring the nuclear power plant back online in order to meet the growing energy demands of its artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
Microsoft will have exclusive rights to all of the plant’s output if authorities approve the agreement, highlighting the enormous power needed to propel its AI-driven future.
The agreement, which is contingent upon regulatory permissions, might result in the facility reopening in 2028. This would represent the rebirth of a location that was shut down in 2019 owing to financial difficulties. With a maximum power output of 837 megawatts, the facility is situated next to a unit that was permanently shut down as a result of the 1979 nuclear accident, which was among the worst in American history.
The need for clean energy has grown as Microsoft builds its data centers in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Chicago. This is especially true given that the company’s concentration on artificial intelligence (AI) has resulted in a considerable increase in greenhouse gas emissions. According to a Bloomberg story, Microsoft has committed to operating its data centers fully carbon-free by 2025, and the resurrected nuclear reactor will be a major factor in this effort.
