The U.S. Department of Energy approved a $1 billion loan Tuesday that will support plans to restart a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island and use the facility outside Harrisburg to power Microsoft data centers.

Constellation Energy, the largest operator of nuclear plants in the U.S., aims to bring the renamed Crane Clean Energy Center back online in 2027. Microsoft has a 20-year power-purchasing agreement for the 835 megawatt plant, which is expected to produce enough electricity to power about 800,000 homes.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the federal loan is intended to bolster the project's impact by helping curb rising utility costs. He said the loan will make electricity cheaper for more than 65 million consumers in the 13-state territory that relies on the regional grid operate

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