Constellation seeks FERC help with Crane restart

When the former Three Mile Island-1 restarts in 2027 as the Crane Clean Energy Center, it will not face a delay of several years before it can be reconnected to the grid, Constellation CEO Joseph Dominguez said this week.

Among the items that emerged on Constellation and the Crane restart in Middletown, Pa., during last week's CERAWeek energy conference was a Reuters report on an analysis from electric grid provider PJM suggesting the plant may not be connected to the grid until 2031.

In a business and earnings call Tuesday, Dominguez said next year is still the target for the Crane restart.

"We are working on that with PJM, and we continue to expect to start this unit in 2027," Dominguez said.

During the call, Dominguez said Constellation has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to transfer capacity rights from its Eddystone generating station in Eddystone, Pa., to Crane. The transfer of these interconnection rights will facilitate the restart, Dominguez said.

Eddystone is a six-unit gas- and oil-powered plant that was originally scheduled for closure in 2025. However, a series of orders from the Department of Energy have kept Eddystone operational past its original end date; the latest emergency order will keep it open through May 24.

Background: Amid the resurgence of demand for nuclear power in the United States, the restart of the 835-MWe PWR reactor at Crane is a project that stands out. It is among three decommissioned power plants currently in the process of returning to operational status. The plant was originally shuttered in 2019 due to economic challenges in the energy market, with low natural gas prices outpacing nuclear and no state incentives for TMI's carbon-free energy output. Crane is adjacent to TMI-2, which was permanently shut down in 1979 following a partial reactor meltdown.

Microsoft and Constellation, meanwhile, signed a 20-year power purchase agreement in 2024 to restart Crane and provide the tech giant with power for data centers. The restart is also backed by a $1 billion DOE loan, announced late last year.