No: I-16-005 March 16, 2016 

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331 

NRC to Hold Open House on March 23 in Middletown, Pa.,

to Discuss 2015 Performance of Three Mile Island 1 Nuclear Plant

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct a public open house on Wednesday, March 

23, in Middletown, Pa., to discuss the agency’s annual review of safety performance at the Three Mile 

Island 1 nuclear power plant.

NRC staff will be at the Londonderry Township Municipal Building, located at 783 S. Geyers 

Church Road in Middletown, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. to discuss the plant’s performance in 2015 and the 

agency’s oversight plans for the remainder of 2016. On hand will be agency employees responsible for 

inspections of the plant, including the Resident Inspectors based at the Middletown (Dauphin County), 

Pa., site on a full-time basis.

Under the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, the agency gauges plant performance through the 

use of color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators, which are statistical measurements 

of plant performance that can trigger additional oversight if exceeded.

On an overall basis, Three Mile Island 1, which is owned and operated by Exelon Generation 

Co. LLC, operated safely during 2015. As of the end of last year, the plant had no inspection findings 

or performance indicators that were greater than “green” (very low safety significance) and therefore it 

is currently under the NRC’s normal level of oversight.

The NRC’s normal level of oversight at each U.S. nuclear power plant involves thousands of 

hours of inspection. In 2015, the agency devoted approximately 5,365 hours of review at Three Mile 

Island 1.

“Our Annual Assessments allow us to step back at regular intervals and size up plant 

performance. However, we view oversight of each facility as an ongoing responsibility,” NRC Region I 

Administrator Dan Dorman said. “In the case of Three Mile Island 1, the plant’s current performance 

qualifies for our normal level of oversight.”

The NRC issues reports on performance at each plant 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 a quarterly basis on the agency’s website. Following the release of the Annual 

Assessment letters each March, the NRC meets with the public in the vicinity of each plant to discuss 
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the results. Normal inspections are performed by two resident inspectors assigned to Three Mile Island

1. Reviews are also carried out at the sites by specialist inspectors assigned to the agency’s Region I 

Office in King of Prussia, Pa. 

Among the areas to be inspected this year at Three Mile Island 1 are the plant’s Problem 

Identification and Resolution program, radiological safety and emergency preparedness. In addition, the 

NRC will perform an inspection at the plant in August to review the company’s responses to two of the 

agency’s post-Fukushima orders.

The Annual Assessment letter for Three Mile Island 1, as well as the notice for the March 23rd 

open house, are available on the NRC website. Current performance information is also available for 

Three Mile Island 1.