NRC TO HOLD OPEN HOUSE ON APRIL 11 IN LONDONDERRY TOWNSHIP, PA.,

TO DISCUSS THREE MILE ISLAND 1 NUCLEAR PLANT ANNUAL ASSESSMENT

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will conduct an open house on Wednesday, April 

11, regarding the agency’s annual assessment of safety performance for the Three Mile Island 1 

nuclear power plant.

 The open house will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Londonderry Township 

Municipal Building, at 748 S. Geyers Church Road in Middletown, Pa. Members of the public 

will have an opportunity to learn first-hand from NRC staff members about the plant’s safety 

performance during 2011 and the NRC’s oversight of the facility. The meeting format will allow 

citizens to discuss plant-related topics on a one-on-one basis with NRC inspectors assigned to the 

plant and their NRC Region I supervisor.

Three Mile Island 1 is a pressurized-water reactor located in Middletown (Dauphin

County). It is owned and operated by Exelon Nuclear.

Overall, Three Mile Island 1 operated safely during 2011. At the conclusion of last year, 

as assessed by the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, there were no performance indicators for 

the plant that were other than “Green” (very low safety significance) and no inspection findings 

that were “Greater than Green.” Therefore, for the rest of 2012 Three Mile Island 1 will receive 

the very detailed inspection regime used by the NRC for plants that are operating well. In 2011, 

the NRC devoted approximately 5,160 hours of inspection to the Three Mile Island 1 facility.

“Throughout 2011, our inspectors kept close watch on a daily basis to ensure there were 

no safety issues of significance. The Three Mile Island 1 plant was among those to meet our 

clearly defined performance criteria last year,” NRC Region I Administrator Bill Dean said. “In 

addition, our inspectors spent time in 2011 checking on whether there were any immediate safety 

concerns at U.S. nuclear power plants following the March events at the Fukushima Daiichi

facility in Japan. Those reviews indicated the plants remained safe for continued operation.”

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: www.nrc.gov

Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov

No. I-12-013

Contact: Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330

 Neil Sheehan, (610) 337-5331

March 30, 2012

Email: opa1.resource@nrc.gov
The NRC utilizes a combination of color-coded inspection findings and performance

indicators to measure plant performance. The colors start with “Green” and then increase to

“White,” “Yellow” or “Red,” commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved.

The agency issues reports on performance at specific plants twice a year: during the mid-cycle,

or mid-point, of the year, and at the conclusion of the year. Inspection findings and performance

indicators are also updated on the NRC’s website, each quarter. Following the release of the 

annual reports every March, the NRC meets with the public in the vicinity of each plant to 

discuss the results. The meetings are in keeping with the agency’s commitment to transparency 

with regard to its activities.

The annual assessment for the Three Mile Island 1 plant is available on the NRC website. 

The notice for the open house is available in the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and 

Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML12072A335. Help in using 

ADAMS can be obtained via the NRC’s Public Document Room at 1-800-397-4209 or 

301-415-4737, or by e-mail at PDR.Resource@NRC.GOV.

Routine inspections are carried out by the two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the

plant and by inspection specialists from the agency’s Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa.

Among the areas of performance at Three Mile Island 1 to be inspected this year by NRC 

specialists are activities associated with emergency preparedness, radiological safety, the plant’s 

problem identification and resolution program, and the facility’s implementation of a voluntary 

industry initiative to address potential degradation of underground piping.

Current performance information for Three Mile Island 1 is available on the NRC 

website.

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