Three Mile Island plant, site of worst nuclear accident in US history, to close in 2019

The Three Mile Island Generating Station in Pennsylvania, the site of the worst nuclear accident in the United States four decades ago, announced on Tuesday that it would close in 2019 pending major policy reforms.

Exelon Corporation, which operates the plant south of Harrisburg, said it plans to close the station around September 2019. President and CEO Chris Crane called it “a difficult day” for the plant’s 675 employees, their families and customers.

Staff are expected to start transitioning out within six months of the final shutdown, the Chicago-based corporation said.

Exelon said it would make shutdown notifications to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission within 30 days, terminate capital investment projects required for long-term operation and cancel 2019 fuel purchases and outage planning.

Still, the corporation held the door open to preserving the plant, saying reforms to Pennsylvania state energy policy to support nuclear power could provide “one of many potential solutions.”