NRC TO HOLD OPEN HOUSE ON MAY 7 IN LONDONDERRY TWP., PA., 

TO DISCUSS THREE MILE ISLAND 1 NUCLEAR PLANT ANNUAL ASSESSMENT 

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public open house on May 7 to discuss 

the agency’s annual review of safety performance at the Three Mile Island 1 nuclear power plant.

During the open house, which is scheduled from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Londonderry 

Township Municipal Building, at 783 S. Geyers Church Road, attendees will have an 

opportunity to hold one-on-one discussions with NRC staff members about the plant’s 2012 

performance and the agency’s oversight of the facility. NRC staff on hand will include the 

inspectors assigned to the plant on a full-time basis and their supervisors.

Overall, the Three Mile Island 1 plant -- consisting of a single pressurized-water reactor 

located in Middletown (Dauphin County) and owned by Exelon Generation Co. LLC -- operated 

safely during 2012. At the end of the fourth quarter of 2012, Three Mile Island 1 did not have 

any inspection findings that were greater than green (rising to the level requiring additional NRC 

oversight) or any performance indicators that were other than green (exceeding the threshold for 

the indicator and requiring additional NRC oversight). Typically, this would result in Three Mile 

Island 1 continuing to receive the NRC’s normal level of oversight during 2013. However, the 

NRC is currently evaluating an inspection finding that may result in additional NRC oversight. 

The NRC’s decision on this issue will be sent to the company in the near future. 

Plants that meet criteria set out by the NRC receive the normal level of oversight, which 

consists of a detailed regime involving thousands of hours of inspection. In 2012, the agency 

devoted approximately 6,000 hours of inspection to the Three Mile Island 1 plant.

“When the time comes to evaluate a plant’s performance for the previous year, we take a 

fresh look at any and all issues that might be of concern. We then adjust our plans for assessing 

the facility accordingly,” NRC Region I Administrator Bill Dean said. “As we map out our 

inspection plans for the remainder of 2013, we remain focused on ensuring that safety is the 

foremost objective for all plant operators.”

The NRC uses a combination of color-coded inspection findings and performance 

indicators to assess plant performance. The colors begin with green and then increase to white, 

yellow or red, commensurate with the risk significance of the issues involved. The agency issues 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region I 

2100 Renaissance Blvd., King of Prussia, Pa. 19406-2713

E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov 

Site: www.nrc.gov

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

No. I-13-018

Contact: Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330

 Neil Sheehan (610) 337-5331

April 29, 2013

Email: opa1.resource@nrc.gov
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 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 

sessions are in keeping with the agency’s commitment to transparency with respect to its 

activities.

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

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

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

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

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

specialists are activities associated with emergency preparedness; permanent plant modifications; 

radiological waste handling, storage and transportation; and underground piping and tanks.

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