Energy secretary says grid must be built for ‘peak demand’ as Three Mile Island plans return

Three Mile Island is preparing for a return to service, underscoring how America’s fast-growing digital economy is reshaping the nation’s energy priorities.

FOX Business’ Darren Botelho joined Maria Bartiromo on “Mornings with Maria” to report on the planned restart of Three Mile Island and what it signals for America’s energy future.

Constellation Energy’s agreement with Microsoft to purchase power from the Pennsylvania facility marks a notable shift in how major technology companies are securing long-term electricity supply. As artificial intelligence and cloud computing expand, demand for always-on, carbon-free power has intensified, pushing nuclear energy back into the spotlight after years of stagnation.

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Constellation Energy’s senior vice president of Finance and Data Economy, Dan Eggers, pointed to federal support as a catalyst for the plant’s revival.

“Secretary Wright, Secretary Burgum, incredible supporters of nuclear — we really appreciate the relationship we’ve been able to build with them. The president has been a vocal advocate and I think that’s opened up opportunities through government support and really strong advocacy for bringing new megawatts on, which is going to help lead to the nuclear renaissance we’re all really excited about,” Eggers said.

The reopening also reflects broader concerns about grid reliability as extreme weather and surging electricity use test infrastructure nationwide. Nuclear plants, designed to operate continuously at high output, are increasingly viewed as a stabilizing force in that equation.

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Energy Secretary Christopher Wright emphasized the stakes for grid design.

“When you design an electricity grid, there’s two major criteria.. You must keep the lights on… Heat running, or people die. Hospitals shut down, factories close. This is an enormous asset of a modern society to have an electricity grid. You must design it for peak demand,” Wright said.

Three Mile Island’s planned 2027 restart would restore nuclear generation capacity to Pennsylvania’s grid as electricity demand increases.