No: I-15-010 March 30, 2015

CONTACT: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331 

NRC to Conduct Open House on April 7th in Middletown, Pa.,

to Discuss 2014 Performance of Three Mile Island 1 Nuclear Plant

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public open house on April 7 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 on hand from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Londonderry Township Municipal 

Building, located at 783 S. Geyers Church Road in Middletown. 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, will be available to discuss the facility’s performance in 2014 and the 

agency’s oversight plans for 2015.

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.

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

the plant operated safely in 2014. 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). Therefore, those 

units are 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 2014, the agency devoted approximately 5,600 hours of review at Three Mile 

Island 1.

“By assessing each plant’s performance in a comprehensive manner, we are able to focus our 

inspection resources on those areas most in need of attention,” NRC Region I Administrator Dan 

Dorman said. “Because Three Mile Island 1 did not have any safety or security issues rising above low 

significance in 2014, we are not currently planning any inspections above and beyond our normal 

reviews.”

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
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Annual Assessment letters each March, the NRC meets with the public in the vicinity of each plant to 

discuss 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 

emergency preparedness, radiological safety and operator licensing. In addition, the NRC will perform 

an audit at the plant in August with respect to some of the agency’s post-Fukushima requirements, 

namely “Mitigation Strategies for Beyond-Design-Basis External Events” and enhanced spent fuel pool 

instrumentation.

The Annual Assessment letter for Three Mile Island 1, as well as the notice for the April 7th 

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

Three Mile Island 1.

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