By Laila Kearney

NEW YORK, June 2 (Reuters) - U.S. energy regulators granted a waiver to speed up the connection of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, which is being restarted to serve Microsoft MSFT.O data centers in the region, a filing showed this week.

• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday evening filed a waiver allowing power plant owner Constellation Energy CEG.O to transfer certain grid rights from its Eddystone natural gas-fired power plant outside of Philadelphia to the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant.

• Constellation is resurrecting Three Mile Island, under the new name Crane Clean Energy Center, with a goal of restarting it next year.

• Initial feedback from the regional grid operator said the plant could not begin supplying power to the grid until 2031.

• By granting the waiver, FERC puts Constellation back on track for its 2027 restart goal, the company said.

• "This decision marks an important milestone in enabling Crane to deliver reliable, emissions-free energy to the PJM region as quickly as possible," Constellation said in a statement.

• The decision will not affect U.S. Department of Energy emergency orders to keep Eddystone running past its initial planned retirement date, Constellation said.