From Tom's Hardware: The current and expected power draw of AI data centers has been the subject of strong discussion, but today, there appears to be some good news. Three U.S. nuclear reactors are being restarted after many years offline, expected to bring 2.25 GW total to the grid. According to a report, the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan, the Crane Clean Energy Center on Three Mile Island (Pennsylvania), and the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa are getting a fresh set of proverbial tires to get rolling again.
The Palisades plant was under active decommissioning, apparently marking this event as the first time a nuclear reactor is being put back to work after dismantling had begun. Despite what sounds like a tough starting point, this plant is the one that's furthest along, as it was loading fuel in August 2026 and is expected to generate 800 MW around March 2027.
Much like the other projects mentioned here, the Holtec Palisades firm running the reactor took a loan from the U.S. Department of Energy. Palisades borrowed from the DoE under the Biden administration's 2024 investment in nuclear energy, while the others were issued under the purview of the Trump administration's 2025 push.
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