home Existing Fleet, Nuclear Attitude, U Three Mile Island reactor restart progresses through environmental review, public comments

Three Mile Island reactor restart progresses through environmental review, public comments

By John Dyer   Posted in Existing Fleet Nuclear Attitude U
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Update: WITF News added a disclosure to this story noting that Constellation Energy is a financial supporter of WITF. The newsroom was not aware of Constellation’s support until after publication. 

Three Mile Island is on schedule to receive nuclear material by the end of the year. The material will be held in storage until the power plant, now renamed the Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center, earns approval to return to operations.

Tuesday night, staff from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the company set to reopen the nuclear power plant presented information about the process to reopen Unit 1 for energy production.

The meeting included a 75-minute public comment period, with supporters touting the economic benefits of the project and opponents raising concerns about emergency preparedness should something go wrong.

Dave Allard, the retired director of the Bureau of Radiation Protection for Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection, said he was not concerned with the company running Crane or the ability of local and state agencies to respond in the case of an emergency.

“I am concerned about the federal staffing levels,” Allard said.

Two workers as viewed during a media tour held by Constellation at the Crane Clean Energy Center, formerly known as Three Mile Island, where media could visit the turbine building where progress toward the restart of the nuclear reactor is taking place after the facility closed in 2019 on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. The turbine is a component in making electricity. A large, multi-stage machine converts energy of high-pressure steam into rotational mechanical energy. This energy is used to drive an electrical generator that produces electricity. Constellation announced the signing of a 20-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft that will pave the way for the launch of CCEC and the restart of TMI Unit 1, which operated for decades before shutting down five years ago.

Suzette Wenger / LNP | LancasterOnline

Two workers as viewed during a media tour held by Constellation at the Crane Clean Energy Center, formerly known as Three Mile Island, where media could visit the turbine building where progress toward the restart of the nuclear reactor is taking place after the facility closed in 2019 on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. The turbine is a component in making electricity. A large, multi-stage machine converts energy of high-pressure steam into rotational mechanical energy. This energy is used to drive an electrical generator that produces electricity. Constellation announced the signing of a 20-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft that will pave the way for the launch of CCEC and the restart of TMI Unit 1, which operated for decades before shutting down five years ago.

Ray McKinley, NRC’s Director of Reactor Safety for the region, said the NRC “is a leaner organization for sure” than it was a year ago, but said they will be able to properly carry out all inspections of Unit 1 before deciding whether to grant an operating license.

Dauphin County Commissioner Mike Pries, a Republican, spoke in favor of the project.

“Over 3,400 direct and indirect jobs are being created, and when the Crane Clean Energy Center is up and operating, [there will be] over 600 full-time family sustaining jobs right here in Dauphin County,” Pries said.

Source: WITF