Nuclear power plant on Three Mile Island to be restarted decades after the worst disaster in US history

A decommissioned power plant near the site of the worst US nuclear disaster in history is being brought back online to meet the enormous power demands of the AI ​​software.

A reactor at Three Mile Island in the US state of Pennsylvania – the site of another nuclear disaster – was shut down five years ago after its operation became uneconomical.

But according to the agreement announced on Friday, the power plant is to be restarted and run at full capacity for at least 20 years.

The utility company Constellation Energy said it plans to restart the reactor in 2028. Microsoft has committed to using all the electricity generated. With a capacity of about 837 megawatts (MW), the site can generate enough electricity for 800,000 homes.

The reactor is located next to another that was shut down 45 years ago after a malfunction and partial meltdown. The accident is considered the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history.

In March 1979, the infamous nuclear disaster occurred at Three Mile Island when a combination of “equipment malfunctions, design problems and labor errors” led to the partial meltdown of the reactor known as Unit 2, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

“This was the most serious accident in the operating history of commercial nuclear power plants in the United States, although the small releases of radioactive substances had no discernible effects on the health of plant workers or the public,” the commission's website states.

“The consequences were marked by profound changes affecting emergency planning, reactor operator training, occupational safety, radiation protection and many other areas of nuclear power plant operations.”