Three Mile Island Restart Ahead of Schedule
Just five months after announcing their project to restart Three Mile Island, Constellation Energy is ahead of schedule. Redubbed as the Crane Clean Energy Center, the project has reached several early milestones. A lot of this momentum is due to a deal with Microsoft to restart the reactor to supply all its power to their data centers. But, the FERC nixed a similar deal for another data center over rules for load colocation. We’re here to explain the news. And, how you can keep your electricity rate low.
Three Mile Island Restart Progress
Constellation has made several big leaps towards restarting Three Mile Island. They have hired over 200 new and returning employees. And the company is planning on hiring at least another 400 people for the nuclear power station. Meanwhile, they have performed or scheduled thousands of inspections. And awarded a contract for three new power transformers. In addition, Constellation is working closely with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to meet all the the regulatory and safety standards needed for a reactor restart.
However, a major concern comes from FERC and their policies regarding colocating power plants with large loads, like data centers.
Three Mile Island and FERC
A big problem for PA, and the PJM Interconnection as a whole, has been a lack of power. Utilitites are already fighting to keep electricity affordable. The state retired more plants over the past 10 years than it has replaced. And at the same time, PJM has been slogging through a backlog of new plants waiting approval. So meeting the current demand has already been a problem. Presently, data centers, crypto mining, and AI facilities are adding to the challenge.
So it would seem that allowing these data centers to buy electricity directly could be a solution. But it has turned into a regulatory nightmare. New data centers are setting up power purchase agreements with new power plants to supply all their electricity. This supply would be “behind meter”; that is a direct feed from Three Mile Island to Microsoft data centers. None of it would be available to the larger grid.
Not surprisingly, the FERC is debating whether such colocated loads should still pay into the grid or not and how they will affect grid stability. To be sure, there hasn’t been anything on this scale before. One issue is whether these power plants must switch their power to the grid during a power crisis. So, the FERC has started a review of their co-load policies.
Lower Your PA Electricity Rate
Whatever FERC may decide, it seems that the Three Mile Island restart is running full steam ahead! The reopening of the nuclear station is slated for Spring, 2028.
With rates on the rise, you should prepare for higher electricity bills this summer. Shopping for a long-term plan with a reputable provider could save you hundreds of dollars a year! And the spring shoulder months tend to bring lower electricity rates, so now’s the time to find a new plan. Shop and save with us at https://www.paenergyratings.com