TMI wants to draw more water from Susquehanna River for its restart

Constellation Energy, the operator of the nuclear power plant now known as the Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center (formerly Three Mile Island's unit 1), has submitted a request to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) to significantly increase its permitted water draw from the Susquehanna River. The facility, which was shut down in 2019 for economic reasons, currently has a permit to draw a maximum of 44 million gallons per day, a figure that was reduced after its closure. Constellation is seeking to raise this limit to 73.2 million gallons per day to facilitate the plant's restart, targeted for 2027. The proposed restart is driven by a new agreement with Microsoft, under which Constellation will provide 835 megawatts of power to support Microsoft's data center operations. The $1.6 billion restart project is also receiving a substantial boost from $1 billion in loans from the federal government. The SRBC has scheduled a public hearing to discuss Constellation's proposal and 14 other matters on April 23 at its offices in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Members of the public are encouraged to pre-register for oral comments by emailing Jason Oyler, Secretary to the Commission, or submit written comments electronically or via mail. The commission is expected to make a decision on Constellation's water withdrawal proposal on June 4.