No. I-08-006 

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 

Feb. 26, 2008

NRC TO DISCUSS REVIEW OF LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION 

FOR THREE MILE ISLAND 1 NUCLEAR POWER PLANT 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will conduct two public meetings in the vicinity of 

the Three Mile Island 1 nuclear power plant on Tuesday, March 4, to discuss the agency’s review 

process for a proposed 20-year extension of the facility’s current 40-year operating license. 

AmerGen Energy Co., LLC, owns and operates the plant, which is located in Middletown 

(Dauphin County), Pa. 

At 1:30 p.m. that day, the NRC staff will hold a meeting at the Elks Theatre, at 4 W. 

Emaus St. in Middletown. Another meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Londonderry 

Elementary School, at 260 Schoolhouse Road in Middletown. 

Both sessions will begin with NRC staff presentations on the overall license renewal 

review process, which includes safety and environmental assessments. The staff will also 

discuss the multiple opportunities available for members of the public to participate in the 

process. Following those presentations, audience members will be able to ask questions and 

offer comments on issues related to the review of the plant’s application. 

The NRC staff will also host an “open house” starting 1 hour before each meeting to 

provide interested citizens with the opportunity to talk informally with agency staff. 

“This will be the first of several meetings we will hold near the plant to explain the nature 

of our reviews and hear from members of the public about any concerns they might have,” said 

Louise Lund, a Branch Chief in the NRC’s Division of License Renewal. “We look forward to 

this chance to discuss our review program and receive their input.” 

 AmerGen submitted a license renewal application for Three Mile Island 1 to the NRC on 

Jan. 8, 2008. The application is available on the NRC’s web site at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/three-mile-island.html . It 

is also available for review at the NRC’s Public Document Room in Rockville, Md., which can 

be reached by phone at 1-800-397-4209 or by e-mail at pdr@nrc.gov, and at the following public 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region I 

475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 

E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov 

Site: http://www.nrc.gov
libraries: Middletown Public Library, 20 N. Catherine St., Middletown; and the Penn State 

Harrisburg Library, 351 Olmstead Drive, Middletown. 

The NRC staff is currently reviewing AmerGen’s application to determine whether it 

contains enough information to begin a formal review. If the application has sufficient 

information, the NRC will formally docket, or file, the application and will announce an 

opportunity to request a hearing. 

Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a nuclear power plant has a 

term of 40 years. This license term was selected on the basis of economic and anti-trust 

considerations, not technical limitations. The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 

years if NRC requirements are met. The current operating license for Three Mile Island 1 is due 

to expire on April 19, 2014. 

 This application does not involve the adjoining Three Mile Island 2 reactor, where a 

severe accident occurred in 1979. That unit has been out of service since the event. It has been 

defueled and decontaminated to the extent that the plant is in a safe, stable condition suitable for 

long-term monitoring. Three Mile Island 1 was not affected by the accident and has had a safe 

operating record for many years. 

 Additional information on the license renewal process is available on the NRC’s web site 

at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/license-renewal-bg.html and

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html . 

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