The US nuclear industry struggles to keep up with AI and tech giants’ voracious energy appetites. Dive into the critical issues at the intersection of nuclear power, AI, and the high-stakes expectations of big tech.
Microsoft and Constellation electricity intend to reactivate the nuclear power station at Three Mile Island in the hopes of securing a swift supply of environmentally benign electricity sufficient to fuel the exponentially growing data centers for artificially intelligent (AI).
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An examination of the most recent the United States Energy Information Administration or EIA statistics available, from late 2022, suggests that the country’s power generation capacity might increase by roughly 2.4% to 2.7% through the end of the decade. By 2030, data centers should account for about 9% of the nation’s total electricity consumption, having more than doubled in power use.
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The energy consumption from data centers is increasing, and tech companies are rushing to keep up with the demand to run generative AI. However, gaining access to the nuclear system comes with regulatory obstacles, potential supply-chain hiccups, occasionally acrimonious local resistance, and monitoring from water officials worried about the health of reservoirs.
Three Mile Island garnered global headlines in March 1979 when its Unit 2 reactor had a partial meltdown. This reopening proposal pertains to the Pennsylvania plant’s Unit 1 reactor, which was shut down five years ago after decades of safe operation.
By 2028, Unit 1 would be restarted as part of the $1.6 billion plan to counteract Microsoft’s power usage in the area from its data centers. This is the most recent agreement between a technological business and a supplier of nuclear electricity.
Talen Energy, which has a nuclear reactor somewhere in Pennsylvania, agreed to sell Amazon.com a data center in March. More nuclear data center contracts are in the works, according to power industry sources. However, every tech-nuclear agreement is different and has its own set of difficulties. Regarding the proposed restart of Three Mile Island, Kate Fowler, worldwide nuclear power leader for Marsh, a power reinsurance broker & risk advisor, remarked, “Nobody has done this before.”
There will inevitably be difficulties. Since Three Mile Island closed Unit 1 in 2019, supply-chain bottlenecks have emerged, according to Fowler. For example, after Russia invaded Ukraine in full in 2022, Washington placed limitations on enriched uranium. Securing licensing from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Authority will also be tough, as will dealing with regional rivals, who recall the 1979 near meltdown.
Nuclear engineer Sola Talabi, president of the energy risk consulting firm Pittsburgh Technical, stated, “The NRC currently truly has a full plate,” citing license applications for reactor types the agency has never before considered, such as high-tech modular plants as well as another shut down reactor in Michigan. Talabi stated that NRC staff and technical resources will be challenged in order to consider the backlog of fresh initiatives by the deadlines set by firms, despite the fact that President Joe Biden just signed legislation to expedite the NRC’s licensing procedure.
Public comments could delay Constellation’s application for NRC operating authorization for Three Mile Island. Re-establishing the project’s connection to the local grid may also take several years.
Other Hurdles
According to risk and energy experts, regulators might go through more drawn-out assessment procedures before resuming operations at a nuclear facility that has been completely shut down. Even though the Talen facility is up and running, two regulated utilities in the federal government are posing obstacles to Amazon’s data center there, claiming that increased transmission costs could result in higher power prices.
According to Talen, the data Centre might use as much electricity as all of the residences in New Mexico, thus there would be no need for the public to worry about increasing power prices or dependability issues. Edwin Lyman, anatomical safety specialist with the Union of the Concerned Scientists, stated that it may be difficult to restart the utilization of infrastructure and equipment at Three Mile Island that has been idle for five years.
According to Lyman, “Constellation should anticipate running into issues that will be expensive and time-consuming to resolve.” Additionally, altered groundwater and surface water permits will be needed for Three Mile Island, according to Susquehanna River Basin Council spokesperson Stacey Hanrahan.
The project’s anticipated water demands would be assessed for sustainability and any potential negative effects on the natural world and other users, Hanrahan stated. “Any modification demand will be thoroughly reviewed,” he added.
Talabi stated that Four Years is plenty for Constellation to handle any Three Mile Island technical concerns, which might be significant given that reactor vessels and steam generators are delicate components that have been shut down for an extended period of time.
Talabi also underlined how critical it is to address any community and environmental issues that may surface in the area, especially in light of the 1979 catastrophe.
“Community engagement is going to be essential to our reset, probably more so than any other place in the country to guarantee that we have social acceptance,” Talabi stated.
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