The US Department of Energy is lending up to $4.4 billion to restart three retired nuclear plants: Palisades in Michigan, Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, and Duane Arnold in Iowa. Together they would add about 2.25 GW of carbon-free capacity, roughly enough for 2 million homes. Two of the plants already have long-term power purchase agreements with Google and Microsoft to supply data centers. Palisades is furthest along. Holtec started loading fuel in August but paused after a fuel assembly tilted. The plant needs to be in service by March 2027 under its contracts. Duane Arnold is expected back by 2029 under a NextEra and Google deal. Three Mile Island has a 2027 target through Constellation and Microsoft. Supporters say restarts are cheaper and faster than new reactors. Critics question whether taxpayer money should back projects with private buyers, and whether plants built decades ago are being upgraded enough for climate-driven extreme weather. The outcome will depend on whether the restarts stay on schedule and whether the power purchase agreements cover the real costs.
