MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Five years after it was completely shut down, there's a chance that the nuclear power plant at Three Mile Island could be restarted.
According to an article published this week by Reuters, Three Mile Island's current owner, Constellation Energy, has entered talks with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's office and state lawmakers to help fund a possible restart of the facility.
Three Mile Island, the site of "the most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history," according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, was decommissioned and closed in 2019, though cleanup efforts around Reactor No. 2, which nearly melted down in the infamous March 28, 1979 incident, are ongoing.
The negotiations, which two sources described to Reuters as "beyond preliminary," are a sign that Constellation is looking to reopen at least part of Three Mile Island, which began operating in 1974.
The report is leaving residents in nearby Middletown with mixed reactions.
“Just don’t do it," said Mary Hockenberry, who evacuated during the 1979 meltdown. "You’re going to hurt too many people’s lives, so it’s not worth it.”
“I think it would be good for the economy, job-wise, and also for cleaner energy too," said Andrea Hoover, who lives across from the entrance to the Three Mile Island facility.
The part of the plant Constellation is considering restarting is separate from the site of the 1979 near-disaster, Reuters said.
Should TMI reopen, it would be the first time in U.S. history that a nuclear power plant was restarted after closing.
Restarting TMI would likely be "costly, logistically challenging, and met with public and political opposition over safety and environmental concerns," Reuters said in its article.
Eric Epstein of TMI Alert added that reopening the facility would be a huge lift.
“They have no waste storage, they have no water for the plant, they have no fuel for the plant, they have no emergency plan, and they have 700 metric tons of radioactive waste on-site," said Epstein. "So, our preference is to take care of your dirty laundry before you engage in a new project.”
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission said they have not received any correspondence from Constellation about their plans to restart TMI-1.
Diane Screnci, a public affairs officer with the USNRC Region 1, said in an email:
"If they decide they want to restart the unit, they need NRC approval. Constellation would need to provide us with information explaining how it will return plant components to a status that supports safe operation; restore the licensing basis of the plant to an operational status, and make any upgrades necessary to meet current NRC requirements.
"NRC staff will carefully review the regulatory and licensing documents for the plant, inspect new and restored components necessary to operate safely, and continue ongoing oversight to ensure sufficiency of all plant systems and programs, before making a regulatory decision on whether to allow restart."
Dave Snyder, a spokesperson with Constellation, issued the following statement in response to the Reuters post:
"As the operator of the nation’s largest fleet of reliable, carbon-free nuclear power plants, we are always looking for ways to add more clean energy and accelerate the transition to a carbon-free future. The most immediate way we can do that is to extend the licenses of our existing nuclear plants by an additional 20 years, invest in new equipment to increase their output through uprates, and support the development of advanced nuclear, such as SMRs, potentially at existing plant sites.
"Restarting closed nuclear plants offers another opportunity for the industry to add clean, reliable energy to the grid, as is currently underway at Palisades in Michigan. That effort has sparked discussion about Three Mile Island Unit 1, which was shuttered for economic reasons in 2019. Though we have determined it would be technically feasible to restart the unit, we have not made any decision on a restart as there are many economic, commercial, operational and regulatory considerations remaining."
A spokesperson with Shapiro's office also released a statement.
“Governor Shapiro remains focused on protecting and creating energy jobs, addressing climate change pollution, and ensuring Pennsylvanians have access to diverse, reliable, and affordable power in the long term. The Governor’s energy plan would ensure Pennsylvania will continue to be a leader on energy for decades to come by updating our energy portfolio standards for the first time in twenty years and making transformational investments in clean energy – all while cutting costs for Pennsylvanians and creating tens of thousands of new energy jobs.
“Pennsylvania is an all of the above energy state, and the Shapiro Administration recognizes the role Pennsylvania’s nuclear generation fleet plays in providing safe, reliable, carbon-free electricity that helps reduce emissions and makes Pennsylvania’s energy economy more competitive. The Governor supports efforts to ensure the reliability of Pennsylvania’s energy grid while protecting and creating energy jobs – and his Administration will continue to work with the General Assembly on this proposal to meet the Commonwealth’s energy needs. The Shapiro Administration looks forward to continuing conversations with state legislators, labor and industry leaders, and key stakeholders to secure Pennsylvania’s energy future.”
Last year, nuclear watchdogs emailed Shapiro, asking the governor to place a moratorium to ensure no toxic water from the TMI cleanup effort is dumped into the Susquehanna River.
But the U.S. is facing a sudden rebound in power demand from multiple industries, and nuclear power, which is a virtually carbon-free source of electricity, has received fresh support, Reuters states.
The Biden administration recently awarded a $1.5 billion conditional loan to restart a nuclear plant in Michigan, a move that could serve as a private-public sector blueprint for the reopening of Three Mile Island, Reuters reports.
"Though we have determined it would be technically feasible to restart the unit, we have not made any decision on a restart as there are many economic, commercial, operational and regulatory considerations remaining," Constellation spokesperson Dave Snyder said in a statement emailed to Reuters.
Snyder did not comment on the specifics of discussions about reopening TMI.
Shares of Constellation, which is based in Baltimore, Maryland, have risen roughly 80% this year on the prospect of the company cashing in on big tech's voracious demand for carbon-free electricity to power a rapid expansion of technologies such as generative artificial intelligence, Reuters said.
Last month, Constellation told Reuters that it had cleared an engineering study of Three Mile Island, though it was unknown if the energy company would move forward with plans to reopen the site.