Infamous Three Mile Island nuke plant to close,
40 years after partial meltdown, Exelon says it will shutter reactor in 2019
The partial meltdown of a Three Mile Island reactor captivated and terrified Americans in March 1979.
In the latest blow to the nuclear power industry, the energy company that runs Three Mile Island, where a partial meltdown decades ago sent a chill through the nation, plans to shut down its sole remaining reactor.
Exelon said Tuesday it would close the electric generating facility in Middletown, Pa., on or about September 2019, barring a last-second policy shift by state officials to include nuclear power in the state’s alternative-energy ambitions.
Three Mile Island’s fate was shrouded in uncertainty for years following the rise of cheap natural gas, fueled in part by the shale energy boom in states such as Pennsylvania.
The partial meltdown of a Three Mile Island reactor captivated and terrified Americans in March 1979. The incident left Three Mile Island with only one reactor generating electricity, limiting its efficiency.
Although the episode had “no detectable health effects on plant workers or the public,” according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, its legacy cast a cloud over the nuclear business.
U.S. nuclear power generating capacity has remained flat since 1990, according to the Energy Information Administration. It accounted for about 20% of U.S. electricity in 2016.
One of the largest nuclear operators, Toshiba’s Westinghouse division, filed for bankruptcy protection in March, placing the fate of two under-construction nuclear plants in jeopardy.
Chicago-based Exelon last year announced plans to close nuclear plants in Clinton, Ill., and Cordova, Ill.
Exelon blamed state policymakers for not including nuclear energy in their alternative energy plans despite the source’s status as a zero-emissions electricity provider that combats climate change.
The company said 675 workers at the plant would lose their jobs, and another 1,500 contractors rely on work at the site.
Exelon will record a one-time charge of $65 million to $110 million to account for the shutdown, which will also require it to speed up depreciation and amortization accounting totaling up to $1.1 billion.