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Crane Clean Energy Center outlines Unit 1 restart, Microsoft power deal and community commitments
Summary
Crane Clean Energy Center officials told Londonderry supervisors they plan to restart Unit 1 under a 20-year power agreement with Microsoft, project 835 MWs of capacity, seek state and federal permits, restore emergency planning, and pledge $1 million to local workforce and charities.
Representatives of Crane Clean Energy Center (CCEC) presented a restart plan for Unit 1 to the Londonderry Township Board on April 7, describing a 20-year power contract with Microsoft and a package of community and regulatory actions.
Trevor Orth, plant manager, said Constellation has reached a long-term agreement with Microsoft to bring Crane Unit 1 back online under a 20-year contract, and described the project as adding roughly 835 megawatts of "clean, firm, reliable energy." CCEC representatives told the Board they expect the restart will create thousands of jobs and involve about $1.6 billion in private investment.
Craig Smith, senior manager for site regulatory assurance, told the Board the plant will seek environmental and operating permits necessary to return the site to its 2019 operating reactor license basis. He listed anticipated regulatory filings including a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) water withdrawal approvals, and Pennsylvania air and water permits. Smith also said the emergency preparedness program will be restored to a previously approved emergency plan and that offsite radiological emergency plans for counties inside the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone will be updated.
Smith also described an upgrade to the primary alerting system, saying the plan is to move from sirens to the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), which can deliver simultaneous instructions via cellular phones, radio, TV and other channels; an independent electronic mass-notification system will serve as backup, he said.
Dave Marcheski, CCEC community relations manager, outlined community commitments included in the presentation: a $1 million charitable and workforce-development commitment through 2030 and smaller contributions already earmarked for local organizations. The presentation listed $25,000 allocations to several regional nonprofits and a $25,000 allocation earmarked for the Londonderry Township Fire Department.
Alex Charlton, state government affairs, said the project has strong bipartisan support in the Pennsylvania legislature and referenced renewed activity in the bipartisan Nuclear Energy Caucus.
The Board’s minutes record the presentation and a short discussion about upcoming permits; no township action on the restart was recorded at the meeting.
