Environment

Three Mile Island restart could mark a turning point for nuclear energy as Big Tech influence on power industry grows

Published

4 months ago

November 16, 2024

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Cooling towers at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024.

Danielle DeVries | CNBC

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — The owner of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant is embarking on an ambitious plan to restart operations before the end of the decade, marking the latest chapter in the history of a plant that symbolizes the future promise, past struggles and lingering fears of nuclear energy in the United States.

The twin cooling towers that stretch hundreds of feet above the Susquehanna River just south of Middletown, Pennsylvania, went dormant in 2019 after billowing water vapor into the sky for four decades. Its owner at the time, Exelon, permanently shut down the Unit 1 reactor, citing “severe economic challenges.”

Unit 1 is one of a dozen reactors that closed in the U.S. over the past decade as nuclear industry struggled to compete against cheap and abundant natural gas. But the fortunes of the industry have shifted dramatically this year as deep-pocketed technology companies turn to nuclear power to meet the tremendous electricity consumption of their future business: artificial intelligence.

Constellation Energy, the plant’s current owner, plans to restart Unit 1 in 2028, subject to monitoring and approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Constellation, headquartered in Baltimore, spun off from Exelon in 2022; it has the nation’s largest fleet, or group, of nuclear power plants, operating 21 of the 94 reactors in the U.S.

“This is a plant that we ran and ran very well,” plant manager Trevor Orth told the NRC at an Oct. 25 meeting. “We shut it down. We understand how we shut it down, and we have a good idea of how we’re going to restart this.”

The main control room of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024.

Danielle DeVries | CNBC

While Constellation will restore the plant, it will ditch the name Three Mile Island. The plant will be rechristened the Crane Clean Energy Center, after the late CEO of Exelon, Chris Crane. Constellation said the restart will cost $1.6 billion, financed by the company’s own funds.

(Take a deeper look inside the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant here.)

Microsoft has made the restart of Unit 1 possible through an agreement to purchase the full electricity output from the plant for 20 years, a sign of the growing role the tech sector is playing in shaping the future of the U.S. power industry.

Microsoft said the agreement is part of its strategy of meeting the growing electricity needs of its data centers with power that is free of carbon dioxide emissions in an effort to mitigate the impact of its business on the climate.

Part of a control panel at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024.

Danielle DeVries | CNBC

Those data centers are playing a critical role in the U.S. economy, housing servers that run the cloud computing that businesses and consumers now rely on for life’s digital daily tasks. They are also essential for the development of artificial intelligence, technology that is viewed as critical for the nation’s future economic competitiveness and national security.

With four years until the planned restart, one of the big uncertainties is whether Constellation can deliver the power to Microsoft on time. Nuclear projects are notoriously plagued by long delays, big cost overruns and cancellations. But Unit 1 is in good condition and Constellation is confident the plant will restart on schedule, said Bryan Hanson, the company’s chief generation officer.

Most of the restoration at Unit 1 will be normal maintenance work that Constellation conducts regularly on its fleet of nuclear plants, Hanson said during an Oct. 30 tour of the plant.

“Not an ounce of concrete needs to be poured, not one piece of rebar needs to be tied, not one cable needs to be pulled. The infrastructure is here,” the executive said. “The challenge of delays — I don’t see it.”

A control panel in the main control room of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024.

Danielle DeVries | CNBC

Constellation’s decision to restart Three Mile Island follows Holtec International’s decision to restart its Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan. Palisades is poised to become the first reactor to restart operations in U.S. history in 2025 after shutting down.

Holtec has plans to nearly double the power capacity of the facility in the 2030s by building two small modular reactors, next-generation technology that promises to make nuclear plants less costly and easier to deploy.

Amazon and Alphabet’s Google recently announced investments in small modular reactors.

While Constellation has not committed to building a small modular reactor at any of its plants yet, Hanson said the company is open to working with the tech sector to build new nuclear reactors in the U.S.

“If our customers come to us again, like a Microsoft, and say ‘we want to help you build new nuclear’ — we’ll probably join hands and figure out a way to do that,” Hanson said.

Lingering fears

Unit 1 is a short walk from the site of the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history.

The partial meltdown of the Unit 2 reactor at Three Mile Island in 1979 had a chilling effect on the development of new nuclear plants in the U.S. Unit 2 has not operated since the accident and is being decommissioned by its current owner, Energy Solutions, a private nuclear services company.

Unit 1 operated safely and efficiently before it was shut down for economic reasons, said Mike Goff, acting assistant secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy at the Department of Energy.

But Pennsylvania state Rep. Thomas Mehaffie said his constituents have mixed feelings about the restart of Unit 1, particularly those who are old enough to remember the accident at Unit 2.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Tom Mehaffie speaks in front of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024.

Danielle DeVries | CNBC

“Of course people who were here during that time frame, who are older — there is concern. There always has been concern,” said Mehaffie, who represents the communities around Three Mile Island at the state legislature in Harrisburg. Mehaffie’s father was a union electrician who helped build the nuclear plants.

Hanson said the nuclear industry has learned from this chapter of its history.

“The 1979 accident taught us that our standards weren’t right at the time,” Hanson said. The U.S. nuclear industry today has the best safety, reliability and operational standards in the world, he said.

While some constituents have concerns, others see the economic value that the restart will bring, Mehaffie said. The restart of Unit 1 will bring an estimated 3,400 jobs to the region, according to a study by the Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council.

Grid reliability

The planned restart of Three Mile Island is also a step to help ensure the region’s electric grid remains reliable, Mehaffie said. Unit 1 will bring back 835 megawatts of carbon-free electricity, equivalent to the consumption of more than 600,000 homes, at a time when the grid is on the brink of faltering.

Electricity demand is outpacing supply, as power plants, particularly those that run on coal, are retired faster than new capacity is built, grid operator PJM Interconnection warned in July. PJM operates the grid in Pennsylvania and 12 other states.

“Grid reliability is everything,” Mehaffie said.

PJM has forecast that electricity demand will surge nearly 40% by 2039 due to the expansion of data centers, manufacturing and the electrification of industry and transportation. Meanwhile, 40 gigawatts of power generation is at risk of retirement by 2030; that’s about 21% of PJM’s installed capacity.

“We’re seeing potentially catastrophic early retirements of dispatchable resources,” Mark Christie, a commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said during a public hearing Nov. 1.

A cooling tower at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024.

Danielle DeVries | CNBC

Federal energy regulators are worried that tech companies’ pursuit of deals that redirect power from the electric grid directly to their data centers could exacerbate supply shortages and threaten grid stability.

Microsoft said the electricity it will be purchasing from Unit 1 will feed into the grid and will not directly power its data centers. Microsoft is committed to bolstering the grid as it secures power for its data centers, said Alistair Speirs, senior director of global infrastructure for Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform.

“When we operate in the community, if we’re not stabilizing, adding resiliency to the grid, then it’s hard for us to keep our social license to operate,” Speirs said.

Microsoft is not involved in the physical restoration of the plant, Hanson said, but Constellation is providing status reports to the company.

Restoration and restart timeline

Constellation laid out how it plans to restart the plant in the company’s first public meeting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Oct. 25. While Wall Street is generally bullish on the restart, Citi has cautioned that Constellation could face challenges in completing the project on schedule.

“Given the regulatory and physical challenges, we assume that [Constellation] is likely to experience some delays and cost overruns to execute on the restart,” Citi analyst Ryan Levine told clients in an Oct. 14 note.

Citi initiated coverage of Constellation with a neutral rating in October on delay concerns. Constellation’s stock has gained more than 90% since the start of the year and 12% since the Three Mile Island restart was announced Sept. 20.

Levine is an outlier. The vast majority of analysts rate the stock a buy or strong buy, with the average price target predicting more than 23% upside.

The turbine deck of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024.

Danielle DeVries | CNBC

Hanson said crucial and expensive equipment such as the steam generators and main power generator have undergone inspection and maintenance by Constellation and are in good condition.

The steam generators were replaced in 2009 and are ready for restart, he said. The internals of the main power generator, built by General Electric nearly 50 years ago, were replaced a little over a decade ago, he said. The main generator has been cleaned and needs some routine maintenance, he said.

The plant’s main power transformers need to be replaced at a cost of $75 million to $100 million, Hanson said. The transformers are on order with delivery expected in late 2026, he said.

One of the cooling towers has been gutted and will be refurbished. The analog control room will remain the same with the exception of some rewiring, Hanson said.

The simulator that mimics the control room also needs to be restored so plant operators can be trained there. One of the most critical items for restoring plant operations is training operators for NRC certification, a process that takes about 18 months, Hanson said.

The turbine deck of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024.

Danielle DeVries | CNBC

Constellation is currently prohibited from operating and loading fuel into the reactor vessel because the plant was permanently shut down. Constellation plans to file an exemption request in November that would remove these restrictions if approved by the NRC.

“That will officially mark the start of our restart activities,” Dennis Moore, senior manager of licensing at Constellation, told the NRC.

Constellation plans to file a request to change the plant’s name from Three Mile Island to the Crane Clean Energy Center in February. Later in 2025, Constellation will submit filings on the plant’s technical specifications, environmental impact, emergency plan, and site security plan for NRC review, the company said.

Constellation intends to send an operational readiness letter to the NRC by July 2027. The company would then begin testing and return to power if the NRC determines that the plant is ready to operate and authorizes placing fuel in the reactor.

In the meantime, Constellation does not need NRC permission to “start turning wrenches and doing restoration work” at the plant, said Scott Burnell, a spokesperson for the regulator. The NRC will be monitoring the work to make sure the regulator’s requirements are met, Burnell said.

The restarts at Three Mile Island and Palisades will likely secure NRC approval, Goff said.

“They are an independent agency, but I expect if the safety cases are presented, they’re going to approve it,” Goff told CNBC in September.

Don’t miss these energy insights from CNBC PRO:

Environment

Mack Trucks, Terex Utilities partner on electric bucket truck

Published

5 hours ago

March 1, 2025

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Mack Trucks, Terex Utilities partner on electric bucket truck

Mack Trucks and Terex Utilities have announced plans to reveal the next generation of their zero-emissions utility bucket trucks at Work Truck Week in Indiana later this month – and it looks fantastic!

Co-developed by Terex Utilities and Mack Trucks on a Mack MD7 Electric Class 7 chassis, the new Terex bucket truck is a zero-emission utility capable of traveling longer distances and hauling more cargo wherever it’s needed to upgrade, or even restore power where it’s needed.

To make it work, Terex installed an Optima HR55 aerial device that draws power from a HyPower SmartPTO (Power Take Off) from Viatec. The SmartPTO replaces a conventional, mechanical PTO that’s powered by an internal combustion generator. In so doing, it avoids a loud idling engine while reducing utility workers’ exposure to toxic exhaust fumes and the heavy particulate emissions matter with idling diesels (even with Tier V standards).

“Our collaboration with Mack Trucks represents continued progress in zero-emissions utility vehicles,” explains Tyler Schwingler, Terex Utilities product marketing manager. “By combining our industry-leading Optima HR55 aerial device with Mack’s innovative MD7 Electric chassis, we’re providing utility companies with a solution that doesn’t compromise on performance or capability while supporting their sustainability goals.”

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In addition helping meet the company’s ESG goals, the Mack MD Electric is also equipped with the advanced 3rd Eye digital platform, which integrates AI-driven camera systems to enhance safety and productivity. With up to six HD cameras that display a real-time, 460-degree view on a 7-inch in-cab monitor. The bird’s-eye view all but eliminates blind spots when reversing and moving through high-traffic job sites.

“This electric bucket truck represents the next natural step in our commitment to sustainable transportation solutions,” says George Fotopoulos, vice president of E-mobility at Mack Trucks. “Our lightweight electric chassis provides the capability to handle more demanding applications, and when combined with Terex’ expertise in utility equipment, we’re delivering a solution that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in zero tailpipe emissions utility vehicles.”

Terex will be bringing its new Mack MD Electric-based utility bucket truck to this year’s Work Truck Week at the Indianapolis Convention Center March 8-11.

Electrek’s Take

If all this news sounds familiar, that just means you’ve been paying attention. We covered the HyPower SmartPTO a few months ago in a story about Enwin Utilities. Those trucks were based on a Class 7 (33,000 lb. GVWR) International eMV Series BEV.

The International is a fine truck, of course – but the Mack MD Electric raises the bar a bit with more range than the eMV and more rear axle capacity than anything else in its class. The MD also has enough commonality with its HD cabs and chassis that parts availability seems to be top of the class. Pair that with parent company Volvo’s global reputation for quality and progressive ideologies and, well … let’s just say we all have our favorites.

SOURCE | PHOTOS: Mack Trucks, via TruckNews, Work Truck Online.

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Environment

E-quipment highlight: Tadano eGR-1000XLL-1 EVOLT 100 ton electric crane

Published

7 hours ago

March 1, 2025

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E-quipment highlight: Tadano eGR-1000XLL-1 EVOLT 100 ton electric crane

Tadano's 100-ton electric rough-terrain crane delivers the same capability as the diesel model

Tadano first showed its massive, 100-ton electric rough-terrain crane at last year’s ConExpo, promising the same lifting capacity as its 100-ton diesel counterpart. Now, we know a little more about this big lifter.

Officially dubbed the Tadano eGR-1000XLL-1 EVOLT, the big mobile crane ships with six lithium ion battery packs offering up to 226 kWh of power. Tadano says that’s good enough for up to seven hours of continuous operation in a single spot, or or up five hours of continuous operation and five-and-a-half miles of driving before it runs out of juice.

Re-juicing (?) the big crane is achieved with a standard CCS/J1772 DC fast charger with speeds up to 150 kW. That’s enough, Tadano says, to fully charge the eGR-1000XLL-1’s batteries in under two hours, or overnight on an 80A 220/240V AC charger … but all that is besides the point.

Grid-connected power for 24/7 use

The EVOLT’s real superpower isn’t its big battery or 100-ton lifting capacity. Instead, it’s the crane’s ability to operate 24/7 when it’s on grid power. If the job site loses power or power has to be shut down as part of regular operations, the crane can keep things moving under battery power for up to seven hours. It can even be connected to mobile charging stations if seven hours isn’t enough, or driven a few miles back to grid power to be charged up.

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And, with 4x4x4 drive, those few miles don’t have to be paved … or even cleared, probably, making the big Tadano perfect for disaster recovery efforts.

“We are very confident in the investment we’ve made in this crane,” said Dean Barley, president and CEO at Tadano America of the 100-ton-capacity machine. “This crane has been tested and retested. We wanted to make sure that the first fully electric rough terrain (RT) crane in North America meets all the requirements of the market.”

Being fully electric, the EVOLT is quiet enough to work at night in urban and sensitive environments – and, because it produces no exhaust emissions, can also be tasked with indoor work in hangars and stadiums where diesel emissions would quickly pose a substantial health risk.

Speaking of health risks, swinging up to 100 tons of material around can be dangerous work. That’s where Tadano’s Lift Visualizer and AML Crane Control safety systems come into play:

LIFT VISUALIZER
The eGR-1000XLL-1 also offers Lift Visualizer to enhance safety and efficiency. This feature utilizes a suspended load monitoring camera, allowing operators to monitor suspended loads directly from above. Particularly useful in blind spots such as rooftop work, the Lift Visualizer pulls critical lift information from the AML control system and displays it on the video screen, including radius, capacities and load, among others, to improve efficiency and safety for the operator.

AML CRANE CONTROL
The AML Control System delivers dependable crane control and monitoring solutions, ensuring safe and efficient performance during crane operations. This system incorporates the latest advancements from Tadano rough terrain cranes, featuring an enhanced operator interface, a broad range of functionalities and the renowned reliability and ease of use characteristic of Tadano products. The system facilitates time and cost savings through straightforward on-board diagnostics, improved settings and easily adjustable lifting limits.

TADANO

In addition to offering the ability for construction crews to bid on work they simply couldn’t get without an electric option, the company says its new EVOLT models will reduce operating costs on an annual basis by about 35% compared to the diesel-powered version of the same crane. That estimate includes costs of fuel and electricity, as well as maintenance and downtime costs at an estimated 1,200 engine hours per year.

You can check out the full specs on the eGR-1000XLL-1 EVOLT, below, then let us know what you think of Tadano’s latest HDEV in the comments.

Tadano eGR-1000XLL-1 full specs

Capacity Class	90.7 tonnes	100 tons
Main Boom Length	max 51 meters	167 ft.
Boom Extension	max 17.7 meters	58 ft.
Max. Tip Height	68.3 meters	224 ft.
Outrigger Bases	7.33 x 7.33 meters	24 x24 ft.
Hoist Line Pull	9,090 kg	20,040 lbs.
Max. Radius	57.91 meters	190 ft.
Dimensions	15.18 m L	50 ft.
	3.31 m W	10′ 10″
	3.74 m H	12′ 4″
Axles2	2
Drive	4x4x4

SOURCE | IMAGES: Tadano.

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Environment

Massachusetts launches a two-year V2X pilot program

Published

18 hours ago

March 1, 2025

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Massachusetts launches a two-year V2X pilot program

Kia EV9 Massachusetts V2X pilot — Kia EV9 (Source: Kia)

Massachusetts is launching a first-of-its-kind statewide vehicle-to-everything (V2X) pilot program. This two-year initiative, backed by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), aims to deploy 100 bidirectional chargers to homes, school buses, municipal, and commercial fleet participants across the state.

These bidirectional chargers will enable EVs to serve as mobile energy storage units, collectively providing an estimated 1.5 MW of new storage capacity. That means EVs won’t just be getting power – they’ll be giving it back to the grid, helping to balance demand and support renewable energy use. The program is also focused on ensuring that low-income and disadvantaged communities have access to this cutting-edge tech.

The Massachusetts pilot is one of the largest state-led V2X initiatives in the US and is designed to tackle key challenges in deploying bidirectional charging technology. By strategically placing these chargers in a variety of settings, the program aims to identify and resolve barriers to wider adoption of V2X technology.

Massachusetts EV owners and fleet operators enrolled in the program will get bidirectional chargers capable of both vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and backup power operations at no cost. Here’s what they stand to gain:

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No-cost charging infrastructure: Bidirectional charging stations and installation are fully covered for participants.
Grid resilience: With an estimated 1.5 MW of new flexible and distributed storage assets, the program strengthens Massachusetts’ energy infrastructure.
Clean energy integration: V2G technology allows EVs to charge when renewable energy is available and discharge stored energy when it’s not, supporting the state’s clean energy goals.
Backup power: EV batteries can be used as backup power sources during outages.
Revenue opportunities: Some participants can earn money by sending stored energy back to the grid.

Clean energy solutions firm Resource Innovations and vehicle-grid integration tech company The Mobility House are leading the program’s implementation. “With the charging infrastructure provided through this program, we’re eliminating financial barriers and enabling school districts, homeowners, and fleets to access reliable backup power,” said Kelly Helfrich of Resource Innovations. “We aim to create a scalable blueprint for V2X programs nationwide.”

“Bidirectional charging benefits vehicle owners by providing backup power and revenue opportunities while strengthening the grid for the entire community,” added Russell Vare of The Mobility House North America.

The program is open for enrollment now through June 2025. For more details, visit the MassCEC V2X Program webpage. A list of eligible bidirectional vehicles can be found on that page.

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