Microsoft to reopen meltdown nuclear plant for AI energy need

The deal marked the first time a decommissioned US nuclear plant had been brought back into service and the first time a commercial nuclear power plant's entire output had been allocated to one customer, Xinhua news agency reported.

The agreement aimed to feed the growing energy needs of Microsoft's artificial intelligence (AI) operations while restarting the infamous Pennsylvania facility, the site of the worst nuclear accident in US history.

Constellation Energy, the plant's owner, planned to restart Three Mile Island Unit 1 by 2028 at a cost of about $1.6 billion.

The unit sits adjacent to the reactor that suffered a partial meltdown in 1979, an event that sent the nation into panic and dealt a severe blow to the nuclear industry.

The restarted facility would provide Microsoft with 835 megawatts of electricity, equivalent to powering about 800,000 homes.

According to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, on March 28, 1979, the Unit 2 reactor core at the Three Mile Island plant partially melted down when equipment malfunctions, compounded by human operator errors, caused a water pump failure that resulted in a loss of coolant to the reactor.

The partial meltdown led to the release of radioactive gases and iodine into the environment, though no deaths or injuries were directly linked to the incident. Unit 2 remains sealed, with its highly radioactive core encased in concrete.

The revival of Three Mile Island is part of a broader trend of tech companies seeking reliable, zero-emissions power sources to support their expanding data centres and AI technologies.