Recently, Constellation Energy submitted an application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requesting three key modifications to the renewed facility license for Three Mile Island Unit 1 (TMI-1) to support the nuclear power plant's restart.
The three key modifications pertain to the 'Permanent Shutdown Technical Specifications' in Appendix A, the Radiological Emergency Preparedness Plan and Emergency Action Level Scheme, and the Physical Security Plan. The NRC has preliminarily determined that these modifications do not involve significant hazards or endanger public health and safety. Currently, the NRC has initiated the public comment and hearing request process, with comments due by March 26 and hearing requests due by April 27.
It is reported that Three Mile Island Unit 1 (TMI-1) was shut down in 2019 for economic reasons, while the adjacent Unit 2 (TMI-2) had already ceased operations following the 1979 nuclear accident. This restart application by Constellation follows the signing of a 20-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft, aiming to supply electricity to Microsoft by restarting the plant to match the power used by its data centers with carbon-neutral energy.
