Officials from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission presented status updates on the restart of the Crane Clean Energy Center at a public meeting held Tuesday, July 28, 2026. The facility, formerly known as Three Mile Island Unit 1, is the subject of a $1.6 billion restart effort by Constellation that would return 835 megawatts of generating capacity to the regional grid.
Two regulatory steps advanced during June 2026. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the transfer of grid interconnection rights from Constellation's Eddystone plant to the unit, removing a transmission constraint that could have delayed the return to service. The NRC separately issued a draft environmental assessment covering the resumption of power operations.
The Crane project is one of two restarts of previously shut-down reactors receiving federal support. The Department of Energy is also backing the return of the 800 megawatt Palisades station in Michigan. On June 23, 2026, the department announced financing for long-lead supply chain items intended to compress deployment timelines for 10 new large-scale commercial reactors.
Advanced reactor work reached a separate milestone earlier in the month. The administration announced on July 24, 2026 that four advanced test reactors had achieved criticality, exceeding a stated target of three units by July 4, 2026.
Restart projects carry a different profile from new construction. The physical plant, licensing basis, and transmission connection already exist, which shifts the work toward equipment refurbishment, staffing, and regulatory reauthorization rather than greenfield engineering.
Source: Pennsylvania Capital-Star - https://penncapital-star.com/energy-environment/concern-persists-as-crane-nuclear-plant-progresses-toward-2027-restart/