Delayed transmission projects blocking speedy Three Mile Island restart, Constellation says
By Laila Kearney
NEW YORK, April 6 (Reuters) - Multiple power line projects that have been delayed for years could postpone the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant restart unless federal energy regulators grant waivers for the nuclear facility in Pennsylvania to connect to the grid speedily, plant owner Constellation Energy CEG.O said in a recent filing.
The U.S. power producer is working to restart a reactor at its Three Mile Island plant, under the new name Crane Clean Energy Center, by the end of 2027, under a contract to deliver electricity to the plant for use by Microsoft data centers.
To connect to the grid, Crane will need approvals from the regional grid operator, PJM Interconnection.
Initial feedback from PJM said multiple transmission projects, some with in-service dates of December 2030, would need to be completed before Crane's more than 800 megawatts of electricity-generating capacity can be delivered to the grid.
Those projects include hundreds of miles of new 765-kilovolt and 500-kV transmission lines as far away as West Virginia. Transmission lines, which carry electricity from power plants and often cross multiple states, are frequently delayed for years.
"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," Constellation said in its waiver request to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Constellation said many of the projects have already been delayed for years and could be delayed further.
Constellation asked FERC, in a request dated Friday, to allow it to transfer certain rights to deliver energy to the grid from Eddystone Generating Station, an oil-and-gas-fired power plant near Philadelphia that is due for retirement, to Crane.
