"As recently as five years ago, nuclear power plants in the United States were permanently shut down for economic reasons. But that has changed now. That's because electricity demand has increased due to artificial intelligence (AI)."
At the second session of the 2026 Korea Atomic Power Annual Conference held on the 22nd at the Busan Exhibition & Convention Center (BEXCO) in Busan, Frank Storniolo, a director at U.S.-based Constellation, said, "When everyone talks about the future of AI, they emphasize nuclear power," adding the above. The session's topic was "improving operating nuclear power plants and continued operation."
Constellation operates the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear plant, remembered for the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history. The company is preparing to restart Unit 1, which was shut in 2019 over economic concerns, instead of Unit 2, where the 1979 accident occurred and which is permanently shut down.
In Sept. 2024, Microsoft (MS) signed a contract to purchase 100% of the electricity produced by TMI Unit 1 for 20 years, prompting the move. In line with that, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in January last year approved a $1 billion federal loan guarantee to restart the TMI plant.
Director Frank said, "When we decided to permanently shut down TMI Unit 1, we judged it had no economic viability and thought it would never operate again," adding, "But as energy demand has recently increased, we signed a contract with MS, and it will also help local tax revenues."
That's not all. The U.S. government has also pursued policies to actively extend the lifespans of nuclear plants. While the initial design life of U.S. nuclear plants was typically 40 years, the system has been changed to allow operation to 60 years (first extension) and up to 80 years (second extension). As a result, in 2025 alone, a total of 13 nuclear units in the United States were approved for life extension.
The extension of nuclear plant lifespans in the United States has been supported by shifts in government policy. The U.S. government concluded that extending the life of existing nuclear plants by 20 years is less in expense than building new ones. In addition, as the AI era arrives and electricity demand for data centers surges, the value of nuclear plants—capable of supplying power reliably around the clock—has been reassessed.
Park Yun-won, CEO of Biz and a former head of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, said during a panel discussion, "It took three years just for the review to restart Kori Unit 2, costing us three of the 10 years available for restart," adding, "We need a roadmap to raise the efficiency and capacity factor of existing nuclear plants."
Kori Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 began commercial operation on Aug. 10, 1983, and, with its 40-year operating license expired, it stopped operating on Apr. 8, 2023. KHNP submitted a continued operation safety assessment report to the regulator in Apr. 2022 for the continued operation of Kori Unit 2, and, after a review process of about three years and seven months, it received approval for continued operation from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission in Nov. last year.
Park said, "In the United States, they boldly stripped out tasks and regulations that are not high risk, raising both the efficiency and capacity factor of nuclear plants while also improving safety," adding, "Safety and speed are not a trade-off where one must be abandoned for the other; they must go together for the nation's survival."
Meanwhile, the Korea Atomic Industrial Forum (KAIF) holds its annual conference around this time each year to mark the start date of commercial operation for Kori Unit 1 (Apr. 29, 1978). At the annual conference, officials from government, industry, academia and international organizations gather to discuss key agendas in the domestic and global nuclear sectors.