Sept 23 (Reuters) - Major U.S. power company

Constellation Energy ( CEG ) said its project to restart the

Three Mile Island Unit 1 nuclear plant in Pennsylvania, renamed

the Crane Clean Energy Center, remains ahead of schedule, with

the unit expected back online in 2027.

The plant, closed in 2019 for economic reasons, was approved

for restart last year.

Over the year, the company has signed long-term power

agreements for data centers owned by giant technology companies,

including with Meta, and a separate agreement with

Microsoft ( MSFT ) that will involve re-opening the plant.

Constellation said the project is nearly 80% staffed, has

completed or is nearing completion of major equipment

inspections, and has received accelerated approval from grid

operator PJM for interconnection.

Licensing with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

remains on track, it said.