Following the TMI-2 accident in 1979, approximately 99 percent of the fuel and damaged core debris was removed from the reactor vessel and associated systems and shipped to DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory. Since 1993 when the initial cleanup of the plant was completed, TMI-2 has been in a condition known as Post Defueling Monitored Storage (PDMS). The plant is safe, stable and is being monitored.

TMI-2 Solutions became the owner and licensee of TMI-2 on December 18, 2020, following approval of the license transfer by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The license transfer amendment is available here.

EnergySolutions has completed the decommissioning of the Zion Nuclear Plant in Illinois, the largest nuclear decommissioning project completed in the U.S., as well as the La Crosse Nuclear Plant in Wisconsin. EnergySolutions is also in the process of decommissioning the Kewaunee Power Station in Wisconsin, Ft. Calhoun Nuclear Plant in Nebraska and the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in California. We bring extensive decommissioning experience and lessons learned from these projects to TMI-2.

TMI-2 Solutions estimates that decommissioning will be completed by 2038. More information about the project schedule is available in the TMI-2 Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR), available here.

TMI-2 Solutions is has regular interface with the PA Department of Environmental Resources (PADEP) and other state agencies to ensure we are in compliance with all applicable regulations and permits. In addition, TMI-2 Solutions will keep PADEP updated regularly on the status of decommissioning.

Releasing the site for unrestricted use means the site radiological contamination has been removed to the point the Nuclear Regulatory Commission no longer requires restrictions to protect the public. However, a small portion of the site will still be restricted as long as the remaining TMI-2 core debris remains on the existing TMI Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) until the Department of Energy retrieves it.

The projected cost to decommission TMI-2 is estimated to be $1.06 billion (in 2019 dollars). The current funds in the TMI-2 Nuclear Decommissioning Trust (NDT) fund provide adequate financial assurance for decommissioning when accounting for fund growth over the course of the project. As required by 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8)(v), TMI-2 Solutions provides annual updates on the status of the NDT fund to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by March 31st of each year.

Low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) will be shipped to EnergySolutions’ waste disposal facility in Clive, Utah. The remaining core debris will be packaged in high-integrity storage canisters similar to those used for normal spent nuclear fuel. Because the Federal government has not yet licensed a centralized storage facility in accordance with the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, the canisters will be stored onsite in the existing TMI Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) until final retrieval by the Department of Energy.

Low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) shipments from TMI to the EnergySolutions disposal site in Utah are carefully surveyed and equipped with protective shielding to ensure the containers meet strict Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Transportation requirements before leaving the TMI site by truck or rail.

That is an option. Many of the structures and components at TMI-2 are not radioactive, the cooling towers being one example. We will work with state and local officials to determine a safe and economical way to dispose of this material in accordance with all federal, state, and local regulations.

Because approximately 99% of the TMI-2 fuel and damaged core debris was removed during the initial cleanup efforts, there are no events in the decommissioning process which could result in an offsite release that would jeopardize public health and safety. TMI-2 falls below any limits established by the Federal government for Protective Action Guidelines used by operating nuclear power plants. Therefore, there is no need for an offsite emergency planning program.

The TMI-2 decommissioning project will occur in two phases. Phase 1 will focus on planning and engineering activities, as well as the removal and storage of the remaining core debris. The overall goal of Phase 1 is to reduce the radiological source term at TMI-2 to levels that are generally consistent with a nuclear plant toward the end of its operational life that has not experienced a core-damage accident. Phase 2 will consist of traditional decontamination and dismantlement (D&D) activities. The overall goal of Phase 2 is to decommission the TMI-2 site to a level that permits the release of the site, except for an area to be set aside for waste storage of the damaged core debris on the Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI). More information about TMI-2 Solutions’ decommissioning plans, schedule, estimated costs, and environmental considerations is available in the TMI-2 Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report, available here.

The TMI-2 Community Advisory Panel (CAP) meetings occur several times per year and are open to the public. Information from past TMI-2 CAP meetings, including presentations and approved meeting minutes, is available on the Advisory Panels page. You can automatically receive public documents submitted by TMI-2 Solutions to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by visiting the “Decommissioning and Uranium Recovery Correspondence” page here and selecting Three Mile Island Station, Unit 2 – 05000320 (Middletown, PA). Copies of correspondences will be sent to the email address provided as the letters are added to the TMI-2 docket and become publicly available. You can also use the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS, accessible here) to search the TMI-2 docket for past documents. Under Advanced Search > Property = Docket Number > Operator “starts with” > Value = 05000320.