No one has ever restarted an American nuclear reactor that was seemingly closed for good. But with electricity demand spiking, interest is growing.
The Energy Department said on Monday that it had finalized a $1.52 billion loan guarantee to help a company restart a shuttered nuclear plant in Michigan — the latest sign of rising government support for nuclear power.
Modern buildings tend to take electricity and air conditioning for granted. They often have glass façades and windows that can’t be opened. And when the power goes out for days in the middle of a heatwave, as the Houston area experienced in July 2024 after Hurricane Beryl, these buildings can become unbearable.
Yet, for millennia, civilizations knew how to shelter humans in hot and dry climates.
Negotiations between Big Tech and an Ohio power utility could set a national precedent as communities grapple with the energy demands of the data center boom.
A regulatory dispute in Ohio may help answer one of the toughest questions hanging over the nation’s power grid: Who will pay for the huge upgrades needed to meet soaring energy demand from the data centers powering the modern internet and artificial intelligence revolution?
