PennLive.com Friday published a story by Wallace McKelvey saying Exelon formally notified the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission on June 20 it will close the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Station in Dauphin County in September 2019.

The letter, signed by the company's general counsel J. Bradley Fewell, is the next step in a years long shutdown process that will result in the storage of spent fuel at the Londonderry Township facility for potentially decades to come.

"Exelon certifies to the [NRC] that it has decided to permanently cease power operations at TMI, Unit 1 on or about September 30, 2019," Fewell wrote.

A separate letter sent by Exelon Generation's Senior Vice President Bryan Hanson on May 30 to electrical grid operator PJM went into further detail.

"Safe shutdown of the facility may require the units to coast down from maximum output as fuel is depleted resulting in an actual shutdown date that varies slightly from the target date," Hanson wrote.

He noted that once the plant is completely shut down, it cannot be reopened.

The reasons for the shutdown are fairly obvious but Hanson made them explicit.

What happens if Three Mile Island nuclear power plant closes?

"Unit 1 is unprofitable and has lost more than $300 million over the past five years despite being one of Exelon's best-performing plants," he said. "The energy market in PJM has not adapted to the evolution of the fleet, which has caused the devaluation of resources."

Click Here to read the entire story, plus visit the related links in the story for much more detail.

NewsClips:

McKelvey: Exelon Notifies NRC It Will Close TMI In September 2019

Spate Of Nuclear Power Plant Closures Could Be Start Of Full-Fledged Crisis

More Than Half Of U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Losing Money

Natural Gas Industry Blasts Nuclear Power With Fake News

Op-Ed: Say No To Bailing Out Three Mile Island

Letter: Carbon Fee Would Help Environment

[Posted: June 23, 2017]

6/26/2017