Infamous Three Mile Island nuclear plant is closing today

Middletown, PA town council meeting, June 20, 1979. Photo by Robert Del Tredichi, from his book "The People of Three Mile Island" (Sierra Club Books, 1980). Used with permission.As reported by CNN.

Three Mile Island-Unit 1 in PA had been announced by its owner Exelon Nuclear to be closed by May 2018, but this was its bid to leverage a public bailout. After it failed to orchestrate a PA State Legislature bailout, on May 8, 2019, Exelon Nuclear confirmed that TMI-1 would close for good, by Sept. 30, 2019. It is now closing today, for good.

As we have feared, the closure of Three Mile Island Unit 1, for lack of a public bailout, is now being used as leverage to force through bailouts for several other dangerously old atomic reactors in Pennsylvania, as this WGAL report shows.

Beyond Nuclear's founding board member, Dr. Judith H. Johnsrud (1931-2014), intervened against the licensing of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, long before it was built. She did so as a founder and leader of the Environmental Coalition on Nuclear Power. Johnsrud also co-founded Nuclear Information and Resource Service. After she passed on, Beyond Nuclear established the Dr. Judith H. Johnsrud "Unsung Hero" Award, awarded annually during the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability "D.C. Days" to grassroots anti-nuclear activists who embody her spirit, and carry on her work.

Rebutting nuclear industry propaganda, Beyond Nuclear has documented the harm caused to people and the environment by the March 28, 1979 50% meltdown of the Three Mile Island Unit 2 reactor core.

The good news from the TMI-1 permanent shutdown is that, by definition, once the irradiated nuclear fuel is removed from the reactor core for the last time, a meltdown can no longer occur. Also, no more high-level radioactive waste (HLRW) will be generated.

However, watchdog vigilance must continue. The high-level radioactive waste storage pool, as well as the inadequate dry cask storage permitted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, still threaten catastrophic releases of hazardous radioactivity. Also, the radioactive contamination of the site, in the middle of the Susquehanna River, must be cleaned up.

The companies vying for control over decommissioning -- Holtec/SNC-Lavalin, NorthStar, EnergySolutions -- are notorious. They seek to maximize profits by looting decommissioning trust funds, while doing as little radiological cleanup, and taking as many short cuts on HLRW management safety, as they can get away with.

7,286 Megawatts-electric of nuclear power predicted to close down in next three years

As reported by Ken Bossong of the Sun Day Campaign, based on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission predictions.

That would be more than seven large-sized atomic reactors in the U.S. permanently shutting down.

See Beyond Nuclear's REACTORS ARE CLOSING website section, for details on which reactors could well be among those that shut in the next three years.

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Closes For Good

As reported by WBUR Boston.

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant In Plymouth Shutting Down After 47 Years

As reported by AP.

Perry nuclear running with multiple inoperable safety systems

For Immediate Release:

Perry nuclear running with multiple inoperable safety systems

Perry Event Report: LOW PRESSURE CORE SPRAY INOPERABLE

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Operations Center Event Reports For 5/24/2019 - 5/28/2019 ** EVENT NUMBERS **

54085

Power Reactor Event Number: 54085 Facility: PERRY Region: 3     State: OH Unit: [1] [] [] RX Type: [1] GE-6 NRC Notified By: DAVID DUESING HQ OPS Officer: CATY NOLAN Notification Date: 05/24/2019 Notification Time: 13:09 [ET] Event Date: 05/24/2019 Event Time: 07:30 [EDT] Last Update Date: 05/24/2019 Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: 50.72(b)(3)(v)(D) - ACCIDENT MITIGATION Person (Organization): JAMNES CAMERON (R3DO) Unit SCRAM Code RX Crit Initial PWR Initial RX Mode Current PWR Current RX Mode 1 N Y 100 Power Operation 100 Power Operation Event Text LOW PRESSURE CORE SPRAY INOPERABLE "At 0730 [EDT] on May 24, 2019, it was discovered that the Low-Pressure Core Spray System was inoperable. At Perry, the Low-Pressure Core Spray system is considered a single train system in Modes 1, 2, and 3; therefore, this condition is being reported as an eight-hour, non-emergency notification per 10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)(v). Inoperability of the Low-Pressure Core Spray system was caused by Emergency Service Water Pump A inoperability. "There was no impact on the health and safety of the public or plant personnel. The NRC Resident Inspector has been notified."

Michael J. Keegan

mkeeganj@comcast.net