According to a rece report, Microsoft is on the verge of a deal to acquire an old nuclear power pla. The powerhouse was shut down due to technical issues in the past, and Microsoft is now planning to restart it.
Why Microsoft was to take over the nuclear power pla?
The Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Pla is located in Pennsylvania and is one of the closed nuclear power plas in the United States. This power pla has marked the coury’s first nuclear disaster and in 1979 thousands of people were forced to leave their homes. Now the Washington Post reported that Microsoft is apparely planning to bring this power pla back io the energy supply cycle. According to the coract in question, Microsoft will have the exclusive right to use the electricity produced at the Three Mile Island power pla for 20 years and will acquire the license to use all its output capacity.
According to this report, Microsoft’s main motivation for buying a closed nuclear power pla with a not-so-glorious history is to provide the electricity needed for artificial ielligence-related processes. In rece mohs, the Bing service of this company has provided its users with various facilities based on artificial ielligence, which has increased the need for processing power and, subsequely, electricity. Experts believe that with the expansion of the use of video production services, the consumption power of data ceers of large companies will make a significa leap and the need for energy in this sector will increase even more than in the past.
Microsoft has not yet officially agreed to buy the Three Mile Island nuclear power pla, and it needs to get the necessary permits from the US governme to finalize this deal. If the Redmonds succeed in signing the coract, they will have the energy needed to supply electricity to 800,000 homes, which can significaly help to increase the processing power of this company’s artificial ielligence.
One of the units of the Three Mile Island power pla started working again after the 1979 accide and after a part of its core melted, but it was shut down again 5 years ago for economic reasons. If Microsoft can buy this pla, it will have access to a huge amou of electric power that does not emit carbon emissions in the production process. Also, with the agreeme of the US governme to sign such a coract, there is a possibility of a new wave of policies by big technology companies that wa to have more electricity. It should be noted that there is no history of exclusive preseation of the output of a power pla in such dimensions uil today and it can mark a differe era in the energy industry.
How much does it cost to buy a nuclear power pla?
The annual profit figure of a nuclear power pla is approximately 470 million dollars, and its exclusive purchase for 20 years is about 9.4 billion dollars. Of course, restarting the power pla is relatively expensive, and the company that owns the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Pla must allocate 1.6 billion dollars to it. Taxes and legal fees will also be added to this figure, but in the end it will be more than 7 billion dollars in profit for Constellation. The company has promised to donate one million dollars in 5 years for participating in charity work to the areas around the power pla.
Despite all the inceives for the acquisition of the Three Mile Island nuclear power pla by Microsoft, there are several legal obstacles in the way of this agreeme. One of the most importa permits required to restart a pla must be issued by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which to date has not approved any pla restarts. Also, the exclusive provision of electricity generated in the power pla to a private company will likely have its own tax rules. The approval of public opinion and the local community around the power pla should also be added to this equation; However, with the re-opening of the power pla, the capacity to hire 600 workers would be provided.
