The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved fuel storage at Three Mile Island Unit 1, clearing a procedural step in Constellation Energy's effort to restart the dormant Pennsylvania reactor. The National reported on July 13 that the plant, now operating under the name Crane Clean Energy Center, could reconnect to the grid by 2027 provided Constellation satisfies the remaining NRC safety requirements.
Demand from computing infrastructure is the commercial driver behind the restart. Microsoft signed a 20-year power purchase agreement to supply its data centers from the facility, converting a retired asset into contracted generation ahead of operation.
Restart work at a shuttered reactor involves requalifying systems that were placed in a defueled condition, recertifying operators, and demonstrating to the commission that plant equipment meets current licensing basis requirements. Fuel storage approval indicates the commission has accepted the site's readiness to receive and hold new fuel assemblies.
The approval arrives against broader capacity expansion. The United States currently operates 94 reactors producing roughly 100 gigawatts of electricity, and federal targets call for reaching 400 gigawatts by 2050. The Energy Information Administration projects nuclear will hold an 18 percent share of US electricity generation in 2026, consistent with 2025.
Advanced reactor licensing has moved in parallel. TerraPower received the first construction permit issued for a commercial Generation IV reactor, and awards under the Generation III+ small modular reactor program went to the Tennessee Valley Authority and to Holtec.
Source: The National - https://www.thenationalnews.com/future/technology/2026/07/13/ai-nuclear-power-three-mile-island/