“The group ‘No TMI Restart’ plans to urge commissioners not to cooperate with Constellation Energy's evacuation plan to prevent the plant's restart.”

Why this is important: The proposed restart of Three Mile Island's (TMI) Unit 1 reactor is moving ahead on schedule, with Constellation Energy making significant progress in hiring and facility preparations. The project represents a complex intersection of Big Tech's growing energy needs, the push for carbon-free power, and lingering public anxiety over nuclear safety at the site of America's worst commercial nuclear accident.

Constellation Energy reports they have already hired 200 of the roughly 600 full-time employees who will work at the newly renamed Crane Clean Energy Center. Dave Marcheskie, community relations manager, notes many employees are returning to the facility after being transferred elsewhere. "They had jobs at other sites, but they wanted to move back to the area... and grow their family here," he said.

The project has faced opposition from local activists like Gene Stilp, director of "No TMI Restart," who argues that the project prioritizes corporate interests over community safety. His group has urged commissioners not to cooperate with Constellation Energy's evacuation plan. A key point of contention: the power generated won't serve local communities but instead will be transmitted to Microsoft facilities in Virginia through a 20-year power purchase agreement.

Multiple regulatory approvals must still be secured from agencies including the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, along with completion of environmental impact assessments, state and local permits, and license renewal through 2054, before the reactor can resume operations. A filing with the NRC indicates Constellation plans to target a re-opening by the end of the second quarter in 2027.

The restart effort will create thousands of construction jobs during the facility preparation process. The company plans significant upgrades to the plant's turbine, generator, main power transformer, and cooling and control systems.

This development comes against the backdrop of TMI's troubled history. In 1979, Unit 2 suffered a partial meltdown that fundamentally changed nuclear industry safety protocols and public perception. While Unit 2 remains permanently shuttered, supporters point to Unit 1's separate design and Constellation's "proven track record of safety and performance and excellence" as evidence of its viability as a power generation option. --- Hikmat N. Al-Chami