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In a vivid sign of how demand for computing is driving a resurgence of US nuclear power, the Trump administration yesterday agreed a $1bn loan to help reboot the mothballed Three Mile Island nuclear power station in Pennsylvania to provide electricity to Microsoft. The first reactor continued generating until 2019, when it was shut down owing to the abundance of cheaper natural gas, which made the plant economically unviable. The idea is to match the electricity the tech giant uses for data centres in the PMJ grid. Online in 2027 Announcing the $1bn, interest-bearing loan from the US Department of Energy (DOE) yesterday, Constellation noted the administration's eagerness, saying it was the first time the DOE Loan Programs Office had finalised both a conditional loan commitment and the deal's financial close at the same time.