Officials from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission presented an update on the restart of the Crane Clean Energy Center at a public meeting on July 28, 2026. The Pennsylvania plant, formerly known as Three Mile Island Unit 1, is being returned to service by Constellation Energy in a project the company values at $1.6 billion.
The reactor is rated at 835 megawatts. Once online it will supply that output to the regional grid operated by PJM Interconnection, which serves 13 states and the District of Columbia and has faced tightening reserve margins as large computing loads connect to its network.
Two regulatory milestones cleared this year. In June 2026 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the transfer of grid interconnection rights from Constellation's Eddystone plant to the restarting unit, removing a transmission queue delay that could have pushed the schedule. The NRC separately issued a draft environmental assessment covering the return to power operations, a required step before the agency can authorize restart.
Constellation said in September 2025 that the work was running ahead of its original plan, with commercial operation now expected in 2027 rather than 2028.
Restarting a shut reactor is a narrow category of project in the United States. It requires requalifying operators, restoring systems that were laid up, and completing an NRC review that differs from both new construction licensing and routine license renewal. The Crane project is one of a small number of such efforts now moving through the agency.
Source: Pennsylvania Capital-Star - https://penncapital-star.com/energy-environment/concern-persists-as-crane-nuclear-plant-progresses-toward-2027-restart/