English 
Spanish 
3 min read
0 comments
The nuclear power plant that was responsible for the worst nuclear accident in US history in 1979 will be reactivated. This time, with a very different mission: to supply energy exclusively to Microsoft. With a 20-year contract, the plant's entire output will be directed to the technology giant, enough to supply a city of 1 million people in Brazil. Impressive, right?
In times of expansion of artificial intelligence (AI), companies like Microsoft, Google and Meta are consuming absurd amounts of energy. To give you an idea, The energy consumption of these three companies is equivalent to that of 25 million homes in Brazil, or about 71 million people. Microsoft alone demands 198 MW for its data centers, and the search for stable and clean energy sources is essential to meet this need, which is where the nuclear power plant comes in.
Nuclear Power Plant Restart: A Solution for Microsoft's Future
After years of inactivity, the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania is ready to come back online, supplying a whopping 835 MW directly to Microsoft. Although it was shut down in 2019 due to competition from natural gas and renewable sources, the landscape has changed. Rising energy consumption driven by artificial intelligence and the goal of Microsoft's carbon neutrality by 2030 brought a new opportunity to the plant.
The reactivation of the nuclear power plant represents a bet on the future, since nuclear energy, despite not being renewable, is clean and constant, unlike wind and solar sources, which depend on weather conditions. This energy stability is vital for keep Microsoft data centers operating 24 hours a day, without depending on climate fluctuations.
- Brazil may dominate the global uranium market but its HUGE nuclear potential is blocked by an outdated regulatory framework and slow political decisions. Understand:
- 100 reactors in 10 years: China's PLAN to become the world's largest nuclear exporter and lead the global sector
- Brazil moves forward with the US, Russia and China to revolutionize the nuclear sector with new reactors and modernization of Angra
- Angra 1: First Brazilian nuclear power plant guarantees operation until 2044 with an investment of R$ 3,2 billion from Eletronuclear!
The importance of this movement is not limited to Microsoft. Data centers currently consume about 2% of the world's energy, and that number is expected to grow 160% by 2030.. In other words, ensuring stable energy sources will be crucial for the future of companies that depend on AI.
Environmental impact and challenges of using nuclear energy
The use of energy in nuclear power plants is still a source of debate. Although it does not emit polluting gases, it is not considered a renewable source, which raises questions about its long-term environmental impact. In the United States, only 40% of energy comes from renewable sources, compared to over 90% in Brazil. This highlights the challenge that developed countries face in reconciling technological growth with sustainability.
Could Brazil benefit from this movement? With a predominantly clean energy matrix and an increasingly attractive infrastructure for data centers, such as the recently announced investment in Rio Grande do Sul, the country has the potential to attract more of these large technological projects.
What do you think of Microsoft's strategy of reactivating a nuclear power plant to meet your energy demands? Is this the ideal solution for AI growth? Comment below!
