US restarts three shut-down nuclear reactors to feed AI data centers — 2.25 GW coming online with backing from Microsoft and Google
Doc Brown would be abuzz and alight with joy.
The current and expected power draw of AI data centers has been the subject of strong discussion, but today, there appears to be some good news. Three U.S. nuclear reactors are being restarted after many years offline, expected to bring 2.25 GW total to the grid. According to a report, the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan, the Crane Clean Energy Center on Three Mile Island (Pennsylvania), and the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa are getting a fresh set of proverbial tires to get rolling again.
- The data center cooling state of play
- The custom AI ASIC state of play
- America’s AI chip rules keep changing — and the rest of the world is paying the price
- GTC 2026: Ian Buck press Q&A transcript — VP of Hyperscale and HPC speaks out on shelving CPX and shipping LPU decode this year
- Demand for data center CPUs has surged, and AI agents are responsible
The Palisades plant was under active decommissioning, apparently marking this event as the first time a nuclear reactor is being put back to work after dismantling had begun. Despite what sounds like a tough starting point, this plant is the one that's furthest along, as it was loading fuel in August 2026 and is expected to generate 800 MW around March 2027.
Much like the other projects mentioned here, the Holtec Palisades firm running the reactor took a loan from the U.S. Department of Energy. Palisades borrowed from the DoE under the Biden administration's 2024 investment in nuclear energy, while the others were issued under the purview of the Trump administration's 2025 push.
The second reactor is the Crane Clean Energy Center on Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island, repurposing the facility's Unit 1. The project started in 2024, with Constellation Energy saying it would spend $1.6 billion total for the reactor. The firm then took a $1 billion loan from the Department of Energy in 2025. Microsoft is set to be the main customer, with a 20-year contract. This facility is projected to bring 835 MW online sometime in 2027.
This facility was famous in 1979 for the partial meltdown of its Unit 2, although mercifully the event had relatively tame environmental consequences. Constellation's ongoing project is restoring and refurbishing Unit 1, which didn't show significant issues until its 2019 decommissioning and has undergone a safety inspection from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This entity still needs to grant its blessing before the reactor starts loading fuel.
The Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa is the third unit being brought back to the grid, in a collaboration between NextEra Energy and Google. The predicted output is 615 MW, with the juice expected to start flowing in 2029. Next Energy CEO John Ketchum stated that the firm was happy with its cooperation contract with Google, as it meant that "none of the costs are being paid by residential customers in Iowa."
All three facilities had previously been shut down at various points as they were deemed too expensive to run, as labor and maintenance costs made nuclear-generated watts pricier than alternative means of production.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
But the financial landscape for power has shifted, plus with such overwhelming demand and grid connections being a primary blocker for data center buildouts, their operators are likely willing to pay for premium power as long as they get it now instead of in a few decades.
Some quick browsing indicates that Michigan is going to need somewhere between 1.2 and 2.3 GW for data centers alone around 2030. Pennsylvania's forecast has a wide range of 0.8 to 3.4 GW, while Iowa's range is 1.55 to 2.8 GW. These figures are loose, as they include planned capacity for data center projects that may or may not end up being built, and whose timetables may slip due to economic conditions, hardware availability, and public resistance against expansive buildouts.
Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.
Bruno Ferreira is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. He has decades of experience with PC hardware and assorted sundries, alongside a career as a developer. He's obsessed with detail and has a tendency to ramble on the topics he loves. When not doing that, he's usually playing games, or at live music shows and festivals.
-
RobtheRobot The resurrection of Three Mile Island is a scary shade from the past, although long since overshadowed by Chernobyl and the one in Japan.Reply
I do wonder how safe these facilities are after so long in mothballs. I certainly wouldn't want to live within a hundred miles of any of them. And resurrecting them simply so private businesses can get richer is not what I'd imagine a country that values its PEOPLE or it's physical country would do. It also makes them great targets for aggressive foreign powers, not that Trump would fear anything coming from Russia, China or North Korea. He's probably more scared of Europe.
I am so glad that various countries around the world have had enough of America's bullying and have made steps to move away from their dependence on American technology and infrastructure, seeing as how it is becoming an increasing, likely threat, as problematic as the other hot spots around the globe. -
hotaru251 I am all for nuclear...just not under the current group who thinks safety and checks are an annoyance (look at our recent food recalls this yr).Reply -
Why_Me Reply
Are you saying those foods not manufactured by the US govt. should not have been recalled.hotaru251 said:I am all for nuclear...just not under the current group who thinks safety and checks are an annoyance (look at our recent food recalls this yr).
Food recalls in the United States are issued or requested primarily by two federal agencies: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). -
wussupi83 Using nuclear power to give cheap, efficient power to the masses? Nay! That stuff's dangerous! Using nuclear power to give mega corps data centers? Yay! Start yesterday!Reply -
bigdragon I went to a college so close to TMI that we could see its cooling towers out the windows of the main classroom building. Everyone would look in TMI's direction the moment the power got unstable or went out.Reply
I'm not really bothered by TMI being in operation, but I am bothered by the transmission lines that need to be built between it and northern Virginia. We really should be building a new nuclear plant there given that they're still approving and building data centers despite not being able to connect them to the power grid. The locals can kick and scream about their pristine river views all they want -- a nuclear plant needs to be built there ASAP instead of forcing new transmission lines onto everyone else.
Don't tell me we can't build new nuclear plants. Our infrastructure costs, timelines, and other issues are all self-inflicted. Our grandparents and ancestors built the interstate highway system. Today we struggle to build a comparatively short light rail north of DC. Infrastructure doesn't have to be this inefficient, slow, and dysfunctional. -
rgd1101 Reply
it is all about moneywussupi83 said:Using nuclear power to give cheap, efficient power to the masses? Nay! That stuff's dangerous! Using nuclear power to give mega corps data centers? Yay! Start yesterday! -
Roland Of Gilead Reply
I remember that. The cover of a vent remained open and nearly caused a meltdown - something like that wasn't it?RobtheRobot said:The resurrection of Three Mile Island is a scary shade from the past, although long since overshadowed by Chernobyl and the one in Japan. -
helper800 Retrofitted plants are just as safe as modern reactors because of the amount of regulatory hurdle from retrofitting requirements. Nuclear energy is the safest form of energy production in the world as far as deaths. Nearly all of the radioactive byproducts are safe within a couple months. The longer lasting stuff is set in caste storage vessels that can store years worth of waste each for hundreds of years, and takes up little space. They are also so robust they can take a direct hit from a missile without spilling anything. The fact that there is so much irrational fear surrounding nuclear energy is such a shame.Reply -
hotaru251 Reply
no?Why_Me said:Are you saying those foods not manufactured by the US govt. should not have been recalled.
They chose to cut the programs that made food safety get checked and not make it to market.
Also its not only food. they also did it for trains and led to huge chemical spill.
Again all for nuclear as it means lower cost power when this bubble pops and msot of them downscale -
Why_Me Reply
Your previous post is like blaming the cops for not doing their job correctly because they are making too many arrest.hotaru251 said:no?
They chose to cut the programs that made food safety get checked and not make it to market.
Also its not only food. they also did it for trains and led to huge chemical spill.
Again all for nuclear as it means lower cost power when this bubble pops and msot of them downscale
Speaking of chemical spills ....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Palestine,_Ohio,_train_derailment