HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The โขU.S. Department of Energy will provide up to โ$1 billion in loans to Constellation โขEnergy to helpโฃ restart the Unit 2 nuclear reactor at the Three Mile Islandโ Generating โStation, officials โannounced today. The funding โขaims to reviveโ the โfacility, site of the 1979 partial meltdown that remains theโข worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history.
The loan, facilitated thru the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Loan Programsโข Office, comes โคas demand for โขcarbon-free energy sources surges, driven by data center expansion and broader climate goals. Restarting the reactor-which was shuttered in 2019 after decades of operation-would addโ 1,200 megawatts of electricity to โขthe grid, bolstering Pennsylvania’s power supply and contributing to national energy security.โ
Three Mile Island’s Unit 2โ was forced offline โฃin โฃ2019 when then-parent company Exelon cited โfinancial losses and the failureโข of Pennsylvania lawmakers to approve subsidies to keep it running.Unit 1 at the plant continued operating untill 2019, when it too was decommissioned. Theโ decision to close both reactors sparked concerns about โgrid reliability and job losses in the region.
The Energy Department’s loan will support the complex process ofโฃ re-licensing,โค re-staffing, and upgrading the Unit 2 reactor. Constellation anticipates the reactor could โbe operational byโค the late 2020s. the move reflects a broader “renaissance” for nuclear power, as policymakers increasingly view it as โa crucial component of a clean โenergy future. Rising power demand, โฃespecially from energy-intensive data centers, is further accelerating the need for reliable, large-scale electricity generation.