Nuclear Power Plant Restart News

TMI Unit 1 and Palisades Now Slated to Restart

Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center (Credit: Constellation Energy)

Here’s a short announcement with link from Constellation Energy’s LinkedIn page:

TMI-1 Restart

We’ve signed a 20-year deal with Microsoft that will pave the way for the restart of Three Mile Island Unit 1, which operated at industry-leading levels of safety and reliability for decades before closing due to economic reasons. Through our largest-ever power purchase agreement, Microsoft will use the energy from the plant to help match the power its data centers in PJM use with carbon-free electricity.

Renamed in honor of our former CEO, Chris Crane, the Crane Clean Energy Center will contribute approximately 835 megawatts of carbon-free energy to the regional grid – roughly equivalent to all the renewable energy built in Pennsylvania over the last 30 years. It will also add $16 billion to the state’s GDP, create 3,400 direct and indirect jobs and deliver more than $3 billion in state and federal taxes.

More details on how this new reliable, zero-carbon nuclear energy will support Microsoft’s climate goals and serve as an economic engine for Pennsylvania:
https://www.constellationenergy.com/newsroom/2024/Constellation-to-Launch-Crane-Clean-Energy-Center-Restoring-Jobs-and-Carbon-Free-Power-to-The-Grid.html

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Palisades Restart

For an update regarding Palisades, here’s a link to a 19 September 2024 World Nuclear News article. “Palisades on schedule for repowering, NRC considers restart regulations” https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/palisades-on-schedule-for-repowering-nrc-considers-restart-regulations

Inspection work is carried out on the containment building dome and structural tendon system at Palisades (Image: Holtec)

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Oppose CAISO Grid Regionalization

CGNP’s challenge continues to be to help California decision-makers understand that CAISO grid regionalization would likely be the death knell for Diablo Canyon Power Plant following the legal reasoning in the 2016 U.S. Supreme Court Case Hughes v. Talen Energy. In a multistate ISO, California state laws such as SB 846 (Dodd, 2022) which give preference to an in-state generator such as Diablo Canyon Power Plant are subject to federal preemption and nullification under the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause.

In 2016, FERC issued similar decisions against Zero-Emissions Credits (ZECs) to a pair of Ohio nuclear power plants in 155 FERC ¶ 61,101 and 155 FERC ¶ 61,102. See this April 26, 2016 Utility Dive article for details and links to these FERC Decisions, “FERC blocks Ohio power plant subsidies for AEP and FirstEnergy” https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-blocks-ohio-power-plant-subsidies-for-aep-and-firstenergy/418297/

GreenNUKE contains numerous stories regarding these issues.

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