South Carolina’s largest power provider, Santee Cooper, is looking for buyers to complete the construction of two previously mothballed nuclear reactors. The state-owned utility believes there will be strong interest in the project, driven by tech companies requiring substantial power for data centers, facilities which can consume as much electricity as a small city.

“We are seeing renewed interest in nuclear energy, fueled by advanced manufacturing investments, AI-driven data center demand, and the tech industry’s zero-carbon targets,” Santee Cooper President and CEO Jimmy Staton said in a statement.

Why was construction on the reactors previously halted?

The project is located at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station, which is about 20 miles northwest of Columbia, South Carolina.

Officials initially planned for the reactors to be operational by 2019. However, they were left incomplete when Westinghouse Electric Company, the original builder of the reactors, filed for bankruptcy in 2017.

By that point, Santee Cooper and its former co-owner, South Carolina Electric & Gas, had already invested about $9 billion into the project.

What will it take to finish the reactors?

Santee Cooper expects to recover some of its previous investments by finishing this project. However, completing the reactors will still require billions more in funding over several years.

To acquire that necessary financing, the utility is expected to seek additional capital sources and a tech company that will eventually use energy from the site.

What happens next?

Santee Cooper also plans to bring on another power company as a partner. This is because it does not intend to own or operate the reactors once they are finished.

The utility company will be working with bankers at Centerview Partners LLC to accept proposals. The company will be accepting proposals from interested parties until May 5.