Why Microsoft Is Bringing Back Three Mile Island

Microsoft signed a 20-year electricity agreement to support the planned restart of Three Mile Island Unit 1. Why is a technology company backing the return of a nuclear power plant? In this episode, The Watt Ledger explores the deal with Constellation, why dependable electricity matters to data centers, and what must happen before the plant can generate power again. We explain: • Why Unit 1 closed in 2019. • What Microsoft is actually buying. • How the plant would supply the regional electricity grid. • The role of a $1 billion federal loan. • How restarting an existing reactor differs from developing new nuclear plants. IMPORTANT: This project concerns Unit 1, now called the Crane Clean Energy Center—not Unit 2, the reactor involved in the 1979 accident. Microsoft is the electricity buyer; Constellation owns the plant and is pursuing the restart. Project status checked in October 2026: Constellation targets a 2027 return to service, subject to necessary approvals and project completion. The Watt Ledger explores the energy, infrastructure, and economics behind AI. #Microsoft #NuclearEnergy #DataCenters