Nuclear power is back in vogue. Surging power demand driven by electrification and, most notably, the incredible energy needs of data centers has tech companies and utilities not just flirting with a nuclear power revival but ponying up.
With new data centers poised to consume the power of entire cities, the race is on to meet those energy needs with the emissions-free, around-the-clock power provided by nuclear energy. Microsoft has reached a deal to restart the once-shuttered Unit 1 of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania with plans to purchase the plant’s entire electric capacity to power its huge data centers.
In addition, the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan, which was shut down in 2022, has gotten funding from the Department of Energy to help restart. And the Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Iowa is another potential candidate for reopening.
Read more in Real Clear Energy.
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