The Trump administration announced on November 18 that it will sign off on a US$1 billion federal loan to Constellation Energy to help restart the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania, now renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center.
Constellation first revealed its plan to revive and rename the Unit 1 reactor in September 2024 as part of a power purchase agreement with Microsoft, which is seeking additional energy to support its expanding data center operations in the region. The facility is now expected to return to service in 2027.
The Three Mile Island nuclear generating station in Pennsylvania was the scene of America's worst nuclear accident in 1979. Now with the rise of AI-driven data centers, experts are examining whether such technology could place additional demands, and risks, on the nuclear industry.
Click through and find out why a near-meltdown is seen as no barrier to the advancement of AI.