Palisades, Three Mile Island, and Duane Arnold restarts: what the U.S. nuclear comeback means for data centers and the grid

The U.S. is trying to restart three nuclear plants that closed before their licenses expired: Palisades in Michigan, the Crane Clean Energy Center at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, and Duane Arnold in Iowa. Federal loans back the work, and together the plants would add 2.25 gigawatts of carbon-free power, roughly enough for 2 million homes and businesses. Microsoft and Google have signed contracts to buy electricity from two of them, with data center demand making the economics work. Palisades is the first real test. Holtec began loading fuel in August 2026, then paused after a fuel assembly tilted. The plant has to be in service by March 2027 to meet its power purchase agreements. Supporters argue restarts are faster and cheaper than new reactors. Critics, including the Union of Concerned Scientists, say safety upgrades for more extreme weather are not getting enough attention, and some conservative analysts question why taxpayer loans are needed when private buyers are already lined up.