Trump administration issuing $1B loan to bolster Three Mile Island restart

The Hill ^ | 11/18/25 5:18 PM ET | Rachel Frazin

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The Trump administration is issuing a $1 billion loan to help finance the restart of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant.

Three Mile Island was the name of a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, one of whose reactors partially melted down in 1979, becoming one of the U.S.’s highest profile nuclear incidents.

Last year, Microsoft and Constellation Energy announced a deal to reopen an unaffected reactor at the plant to power data centers. It was last operational in 2019. 

The Department of Energy announced Tuesday that it was closing a $1 billion loan with Constellation to help finance the project, known as the Crane Clean Energy Center.

It said that the funds come through the the Energy Dominance Financing Program, which seeks to “retool, repower, repurpose, or replace energy infrastructure that have ceased operations.” The Trump administration’s “big, beautiful bill” put $1 billion toward this program. 

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a written statement that “the United States is taking unprecedented steps to lower energy costs and bring about the next American nuclear renaissance.”

“Constellation’s restart of a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania will provide affordable, reliable, and secure energy to Americans across the Mid-Atlantic region. It will also help ensure America has the energy it needs to grow its domestic manufacturing base and win the AI race,” he added. 

If the restart receives approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, it is expected to be able to generate 835 megawatts, enough energy to power approximately 800,000 homes.

[FatherofFive]

More people died at Chappaquiddick than at Three Mile Island

[MoreMAGA]

More DNC workers too...

[Billthedrill]

Next up: Hollywood “re-imagines” The China Syndrome “for today’s audience” with an all-trans cast.

[Java4Jay]

Bravo :-)

[Tell It Right]

1979 had Three Mile Island and the libs advocating the shutdown of nuclear power. That year also had an oil crisis (not to be confused with the 1973 one). And natural gas regulations with price controls were still being phased out (natural gas was being supplied somewhat better in the late 1970's than in the earlier 1970's, but still not good).

The libs were practically orgasmic with an excuse to hamstring nuclear too.

[yelostar]

We should be cautiously hopeful that the majority of the energy produced here goes to people's homes and not data centers.

“Constellation’s restart of a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania will provide affordable, reliable, and secure energy to Americans across the Mid-Atlantic region. It will also help ensure America has the energy it needs to grow its domestic manufacturing base and win the AI race,” he added. 

"..and win the AI race”

Translation: a substantial amount of the energy produced will go to data centers.

Data centers - now largely financed by debt.

I'm guessing data centers will get 30-50% of the energy produced by this facility.

This is the new paradigm. The line will continue to blur between government vs. corporate activity. Government will direct and produce private wealth, as a matter of policy.

We, the taxpayers (and the wealth produced by our labor in the form of taxes paid), are still necessary, but we're really just along for the ride.

[fidelis]

Two things I remember about the Three Mile Island incident:

(1) At the time it was in the news, I was in the Air Force and had a competitive oral promotional exam. One of the questions was about current events, so they asked about Three Mile Island. I had been following the story pretty close so I was able to give them a lot of details about it. It got me the promotion.

(2) There was a hilarious skit around then about the incident on Saturday Night Live (when it was still funny). It involved then President Jimmy Carter (played by Dan Akroyd) visiting the plant when it had it's meltdown. They sent in a cleaning lady (played by Garrett Morris) to mop up the contaminated wastewater. Carter runs in to rescue her and they both end up becoming mutant giants and decide to run away together. I wish I could find a clip of it.

[PhillyPhreeper]

That unit is 51 years old. Probably better to build new.

[fastrock]

Back in my nuke days I was in the control room getting one of my crews permission to test the NIs.
I have no idea how a local resident got the phone #, but the shift engineer (Chris) took a call from resident. She asked that she not get any power from our plant bec she didn’t any nuclear power in her house.
Chris at this point put it on speaker - then he clarified what she wanted done. Chris was professional with her, said he would pass this on to local power dispatcher, took her address and name replying that the request would prob take a 5-10 workdays to complete. Customer was happy, thanked Chris and hung up.
My point is that that regional and company grids are a big pot.

[Alberta's Child]

While working on a temporary assignment in Pennsylvania a few years ago I could see the cooling towers of TMI over the bill up the road from my condo.

I’ll believe the restart stories when I see the reactor fired up again. One of the challenges there is that TMI is an older design and needs a lot of water from the Susquehanna River to run the cooling system.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

1979 had Three Mile Island and the libs advocating the shutdown of nuclear power. That year also had an oil crisis (not to be confused with the 1973 one).

I remember the 1979 shortage well. It's when I learned never to get gasoline from a station where a tanker was filling their storage tanks because it stirs up all the condensate on the bottom of the tank and you get some in your gas if you pump it then.

Happened with my beloved Honda CB450. Pulled in to get some gas, filled 'er up, pulled out of the station and she sputtered to a halt about a quarter mile down the road. Piddled around for a little while until I opened the lid and saw water at the bottom. Took the tank off, poured it all out and pushed it to another station. Filled it up, and away I went.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

That unit is 51 years old. Probably better to build new.

My suspicion is they want it for the site and are going to pretty much gut everything and start from scratch.

[Boiler Plate]

Your suspicions are not well founded.

There has never been a complete gutting and renovation of Nuclear Power Station as the reactor building goes up after the reactor is put into place.

The reactor building is a minimum of 4 feet of concrete and is not constructed in a way to allow it to be dismantled.

[KamperKen]

This is a government loan that has a reasonable prospect of being repaid, unlike the loans for “renewable” energy. Failures like Solyndra, Ivanpah and Crescent Dunes come to mind.

[Mean Daddy]

Three Mile Island was caused by human intervention. The system was going through an orderly, automated shutdown and the operators couldn’t believe what they were seeing so they stopped it.

[Swirl]

TVA’s Boondoggle of 36 years ago in North Alabama:
Up to as much as 10 billion invested on building the Bellefonte Plant, before abandoned after 85% complete. Plant was then scrapped and remnants auctioned off. Some recent talk of rebuilding with smaller modular reactors.
https://1819news.com/news/item/tvas-bellefonte-plant-could-soon-produce-power-after-36-years-of-inactivity
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellefonte_Nuclear_Plant
https://energyfromthorium.com/2025/03/04/bellefonte-tour/

[Bobbyvotes]

More people have died from falling off of wind turbine towers than all deaths at nuclear power plants.

[Mean Daddy]

Yes it has. They cut a hole through the 4 feet of concrete to replace the reactor assembly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YWn-k9jWhk

[Nextrush]

TMI happened in these parts and the people were scared real scared good thousands of people fled this area with their bowels emptied.