The owner of Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania — the site of the worst commercial nuclear power accident in the US — announced Wednesday that it will proceed with a planned shutdown starting June 1.
Exelon Corp.’s statement comes two years after the Chicago-based energy giant said it would shutter the money-losing plant in Dauphin County — which is licensed to operate through 2034 — without what critics have called a bailout.
“Today is a difficult day for our employees, who were hopeful that state policymakers would support valuing carbon-free nuclear energy the same way they value other forms of clean energy in time to save TMI from a premature closure,” Exelon senior VP Bryan Hanson said.
He said every employee who wants to remain with Exelon will be offered a position elsewhere in the company, as long as they are willing to relocate.
A roughly $500 million package for Three Mile Island and the commonwealth’s four other nuke plants has stalled in the Legislature.
Rep. Tom Mehaffie (R-Dauphin), the author of the House bill, said Wednesday’s news is the worst he’s received since taking office.
“It is news I hoped we could prevent, but in reality, it was the possibility of it happening that has driven me so hard over the last few years,” he said in a statement.
“As they have been all along, my thoughts are with the men and women who work at Three Mile Island and their families who received this devastating news today. Many of these people are not only my constituents; they are my friends, and my heart hurts for what they are going through,” he said.
“Perhaps most frustrating are my feelings about the inaction of the body I serve in, the state Legislature. I didn’t run for this office so I could name bridges and attend ribbon-cuttings; I ran to make a real impact on the lives of my constituents,” he added.
“I did believe, and still do, that House Bill 11 has the ability to do that. Unfortunately, some of my colleagues in the Legislature ran out the clock, and the loss of 675 family-sustaining jobs in Dauphin County is on them.”
On March 28, 1979, a partial meltdown occurred at Three Mile Island, causing a radiation leak. The accident led to new regulations for the nuclear industry.
With Post wires