From Retirement to Revival: How Policy, Demand, and Politics Are Driving US Reactor Restarts

As states work to comply with new clean energy mandates, the federal government looks for infrastructure investments that can withstand political shifts. And, as data centers drive an unprecedented surge in electricity demand, nuclear energy has quietly reentered the energy conversation in the US. It is one of the few alternatives that can advance climate goals and provide reliable baseload generation, while simultaneously gaining bipartisan support in Washington. National consensus in the US around nuclear power has shifted so dramatically that shuttered nuclear plants are being evaluated for reopening in multiple states as utilities and policymakers seek carbon‐free, dependable generation that can meet both policy goals and rising electricity demand. The proposed restarts of Palisades in Michigan and Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania (which will now be called the Crane Clean Energy Center) illustrate the distinct political, economic, and market forces driving these reopenings.