But the financial landscape for power has shifted, plus with such overwhelming demand and grid connections being a primary blocker for data center buildouts, their operators are likely willing to pay for premium power as long as they get it now instead of in a few decades.
Some quick browsing indicates that Michigan is going to need somewhere between 1.2 and 2.3 GW for data centers alone around 2030. Pennsylvania's forecast has a wide range of 0.8 to 3.4 GW, while Iowa's range is 1.55 to 2.8 GW. These figures are loose, as they include planned capacity for data center projects that may or may not end up being built, and whose timetables may slip due to economic conditions, hardware availability, and public resistance against expansive buildouts.
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Bruno Ferreira Social Links Navigation Contributor Bruno Ferreira is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. He has decades of experience with PC hardware and assorted sundries, alongside a career as a developer. He's obsessed with detail and has a tendency to ramble on the topics he loves. When not doing that, he's usually playing games, or at live music shows and festivals.
RobtheRobot The resurrection of Three Mile Island is a scary shade from the past, although long since overshadowed by Chernobyl and the one in Japan. I do wonder how safe these facilities are after so long in mothballs. I certainly wouldn't want to live within a hundred miles of any of them. And resurrecting them simply so private businesses can get richer is not what I'd imagine a country that values its PEOPLE or it's physical country would do. It also makes them great targets for aggressive foreign powers, not that Trump would fear anything coming from Russia, China or North Korea. He's probably more scared of Europe. I am so glad that various countries around the world have had enough of America's bullying and have made steps to move away from their dependence on American technology and infrastructure, seeing as how it is becoming an increasing, likely threat, as problematic as the other hot spots around the globe. Reply
hotaru251 I am all for nuclear…just not under the current group who thinks safety and checks are an annoyance (look at our recent food recalls this yr). Reply
Why_Me hotaru251 said: I am all for nuclear…just not under the current group who thinks safety and checks are an annoyance (look at our recent food recalls this yr). Are you saying those foods not manufactured by the US govt. should not have been recalled. Food recalls in the United States are issued or requested primarily by two federal agencies: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Reply
wussupi83 Using nuclear power to give cheap, efficient power to the masses? Nay! That stuff's dangerous! Using nuclear power to give mega corps data centers? Yay! Start yesterday! Reply
bigdragon I went to a college so close to TMI that we could see its cooling towers out the windows of the main classroom building. Everyone would look in TMI's direction the moment the power got unstable or went out. I'm not really bothered by TMI being in operation, but I am bothered by the transmission lines that need to be built between it and northern Virginia. We really should be building a new nuclear plant there given that they're still approving and building data centers despite not being able to connect them to the power grid. The locals can kick and scream about their pristine river views all they want — a nuclear plant needs to be built there ASAP instead of forcing new transmission lines onto everyone else. Don't tell me we can't build new nuclear plants. Our infrastructure costs, timelines, and other issues are all self-inflicted. Our grandparents and ancestors built the interstate highway system. Today we struggle to build a comparatively short light rail north of DC. Infrastructure doesn't have to be this inefficient, slow, and dysfunctional. Reply
rgd1101 wussupi83 said: Using nuclear power to give cheap, efficient power to the masses? Nay! That stuff's dangerous! Using nuclear power to give mega corps data centers? Yay! Start yesterday! it is all about money Reply
Roland Of Gilead RobtheRobot said: The resurrection of Three Mile Island is a scary shade from the past, although long since overshadowed by Chernobyl and the one in Japan. I remember that. The cover of a vent remained open and nearly caused a meltdown – something like that wasn't it? Reply
helper800 Retrofitted plants are just as safe as modern reactors because of the amount of regulatory hurdle from retrofitting requirements. Nuclear energy is the safest form of energy production in the world as far as deaths. Nearly all of the radioactive byproducts are safe within a couple months. The longer lasting stuff is set in caste storage vessels that can store years worth of waste each for hundreds of years, and takes up little space. They are also so robust they can take a direct hit from a missile without spilling anything. The fact that there is so much irrational fear surrounding nuclear energy is such a shame. Reply
hotaru251 Why_Me said: Are you saying those foods not manufactured by the US govt. should not have been recalled. no? They chose to cut the programs that made food safety get checked and not make it to market. Also its not only food. they also did it for trains and led to huge chemical spill. Again all for nuclear as it means lower cost power when this bubble pops and msot of them downscale Reply
Why_Me hotaru251 said: no? They chose to cut the programs that made food safety get checked and not make it to market. Also its not only food. they also did it for trains and led to huge chemical spill. Again all for nuclear as it means lower cost power when this bubble pops and msot of them downscale Your previous post is like blaming the cops for not doing their job correctly because they are making too many arrest. Speaking of chemical spills …. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Palestine,_Ohio,_train_derailment Reply
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/big-tech/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/big-tech/us-takes-unprecedented-step-of-recommissioning-nuclear-plants-due-to-ai-power-demand-2-25-gw-currently-on-tap-from-refurbished-reactors#main
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