U.S. nuclear plant Three Mile Island to reopen, sell power to Microsoft

U.S. nuclear plant Three Mile Island, the site of the worst nuclear accident in American history, is to restart operations in a deal to sell power to Microsoft, Constellation Energy said Friday.

The firm announced the 20-year deal would involve the restart of the Unit 1 reactor, "which operated at industry-leading levels of safety and reliability for decades before being shut down for economic reasons exactly five years ago today."

Microsoft will buy energy from the plant as part of its goal to help match the power its data centers use with carbon-free technology, according to a news release announcing the deal.  The reactor is expected to be online in 2028, pending approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.