Constellation May Face Transmission Hurdles on Nuclear Power Plant Restart

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Written by Eric Funderburk for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

The PJM Interconnection has informed Constellation Energy that the restart of Unit 1 at the former Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, planned for 2027, could be delayed until 2031 due to delays on power transmission projects, but Constellation is taking steps to prevent this from happening.

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Transmission Issues

Previously heralded by Big Tech, utilities and the Trump administration as paving the way for a new wave of nuclear power in the U.S., Constellation Energy's planned restart of Unit 1 at the former Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center, planned for 2027, could be delayed by up to four years, according to news accounts.

The problem stems not from any activity occurring at the plant--in fact, Constellation bumped the unit's expected restart date from 2028 to 2027--but from a lack of transmission infrastructure caused by delays of planned transmission projects.

Announced in 2024, the planned restart of the unit was sweetened by the fact that the entirety of the unit's 835 megawatts (MW) of emissions-free power was going to one of the nation's largest artificial intelligence (AI) data center developers, Microsoft Corporation.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.

Grid Problems

To reconnect Unit 1 to the grid, Constellation requires approvals from the grid operator, the PJM Interconnection, the largest power grid in the U.S. and one that is facing severe power shortages in the near future due in large part to the addition of data centers.

However, initial feedback from PJM suggested that connecting Crane Unit 1 to the grid was contingent on multiple transmission projects, some of which have in-service dates as late as December 2030. Following a late March report by Reuters from the CERAWeek energy conference that the project may not be able to connect to the grid until 2031, which was followed by a drop in share price, Constellation Chief Executive Officer Joseph Dominguez was quick to perform damage control a few days later in a conference call in which he affirmed the 2027 restart date and said Constellation was working with PJM to bring forward the restart timeline.

Potential Solutions & Eddystone Station

Those moves to hasten the timeline include granting waivers from PJM's stipulations regarding the transmission projects. In its request to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Constellation said, "If those projects remain Contingent Facilities in Crane's final interconnection agreement, Crane will not be considered fully deliverable--and its ability to ⁠provide capacity and energy will be at risk--at least until the end of 2030," adding that many of the transmission projects had already been delayed and could face further delays, according to Reuters.

Constellation's request to FERC also had another big ask that could perhaps solve an additional problem the company faces. The company's Eddystone generating station just outside Philadelphia is an older fuel oil- and natural gas-fired power plant that Constellation had planned to shut down on May 31 last year. Enter the Trump administration, which a day before the planned closure, ordered the plant to remain operating for another 90 days. In a series of extensions, this order now remains in effect until May 24.

Constellation in its request to FERC has asked that capacity interconnection rights from Eddystone be transferred to the Crane Clean Energy Center. Eddystone's operating units include two 380-MW gas- and oil-fired baseload units that Constellation is seeking to retire, whose 760 MW of interconnection rights would cover most of the 835 MW generated by Crane. Transferring rights from an existing site would allow Constellation to use existing grid capacity without triggering new interconnection studies and would facilitate the restart, according to CEO Dominguez. In addition, transferring these capacity rights could very well provide the reason to retire Eddystone permanently.

While the Trump administration is responsible for keeping Eddystone running, it also is a big proponent of the Crane restart, backing the project with a $1 billion loan from the Department of Energy late last year and in January touting the project as part of "8 Big Wins for Nuclear in the Trump Administration's First Year."

Transferring capacity interconnection permissions from Eddystone to Crane potentially could pave the way for the 2027 restart that Constellation continues to keep in sight by utilizing existing infrastructure and rights for a plant that the company no longer desires to operate.

Transmission Project Backlog

While the transmission projects potentially delaying the Crane Clean Energy Center's restart extend beyond the bounds of Pennsylvania (PJM spans 13 states and D.C.), a quick look at active power transmission and distribution projects in Pennsylvania alone suggests the scale of work needed to shore up PJM's transmission infrastructure, particularly in the face of increasing large-load power consumers such as data centers.

A look at Industrial Info's GMI Power Project Database reveals more than $3.2 billion worth of active power transmission and distribution capital projects in Pennsylvania, most in the planning and engineering stages, with only a small amount actually under construction. More than $2 billion worth of these, consisting largely of transmission line rebuilds, are not expected to be completed until 2029 or 2030.

Key Takeaways

• The PJM Interconnection has informed Constellation Energy that the restart of Unit 1 at the Crane Clean Energy Center could be delayed from a planned 2027 date until 2031 due to transmission constraints.
• Constellation is working with PJM and FERC to maintain the 2027 restart date, including asking to allocate capacity permissions to be transferred from gas- and oil-fueled plant slated for retirement.
• The nuclear unit will provide 835 MW of power when restarted.

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About IIR News Intelligence
IIR News Intelligence is a trusted source of news for the industrial process and energy markets, powered by Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI).

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).