The Economics of Revival: What Restarting Three Mile Island Means for Pennsylvania and Beyond
The decision to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear plant—once synonymous with one of the most infamous incidents in American energy history—is no small footnote in the energy landscape. It marks a dramatic shift in how the United States thinks about power generation, economic development, and industrial strategy in the age of AI and data-center demand. For decades, nuclear energy has swung between promise and controversy, yet today the economic numbers behind the revival speak louder than the politics. Restarting the plant represents not only a new chapter in America’s power grid, but a potential rebirth for the communities around Harrisburg that saw their fortunes dim when the facility shut down in 2019.
This is not just a technical story or a political one. It is a financial story—about jobs, public investment, industrial pride, community stability, and who ultimately controls the future of America’s energy infrastructure when billions of dollars are at stake.
Why Restarting a Nuclear Plant Even Makes Financial Sense in 2026
A nuclear facility is not like flipping the switch in an old factory. When Three Mile Island shut down, it didn’t close because it was unsafe—it closed because it was unprofitable. Natural gas was cheap, renewables were growing, and nuclear simply couldn’t compete in an open market where electricity was priced by the cheapest supplier.
The economics have changed dramatically…