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NRC Preparing to Leverage Current Regulatory Tools to Restart a Shuttered Plant
The Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center (CCEC), formerly Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 (TMI-1)1, permanently ceased operations on September 26, 2019, after more than 40 years of commercial operation. In late 2024, Constellation Energy Generation, LLC, (Constellation, CEG), the licensee for the CCEC, expressed an interest in returning the plant to an operational status.
To restart CCEC, Constellation would need to (1) gain NRC approval to restore the licensing basis of the plant to an operational status; (2) return plant components to a status that supports safe operation; and (3) make any upgrades necessary to meet the proposed operational licensing basis.
NRC staff will carefully review the regulatory and licensing documents for the plant, inspect new and restored components necessary to operate safely, and continue ongoing oversight to ensure sufficiency of all plant systems and programs.
To provide oversight of this effort, the NRC has established the CCEC Restart Panel (ML25013A196), which will guide the staff efforts to review, inspect, and confirm that CCEC is ready to be returned to an operating facility. The Restart Panel will help coordinate licensing, inspection, and oversight activities across the agency to ensure that all aspects of the CCEC restart project are meeting the NRC’s safety, security, and environmental requirements.
1 By amendment no. 306 to Renewed Facility License No. DPR-50, dated May 13, 2025, the NRC approved a request by CEG to change the name of the facility from “Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1” to “Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center.”
Licensing Actions Under Review
The licensee for the CCEC, Constellation, is pursuing several licensing actions to restore the operational licensing basis for the plant.
| Regulatory Path to Reauthorize Power Operations |
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ADAMS Accession No. |
Document Date |
Other Information |
| Submittal |
ML24310A104 |
November 4, 2024 |
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| Kickoff Meeting |
ML24346A418 |
October 25, 2024 |
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| Request for Exemption from Certain Termination of License Requirements in 10 CFR 50.82 |
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ADAMS Accession No. |
Document Date |
Other Information |
| Pre-Submittal Meeting |
N/A |
N/A |
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| Submittal |
ML24324A048 |
November 19, 2024 |
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| Acceptance Review |
ML24355A057 |
December 12, 2024 |
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| RAI Letter |
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Requests for additional information (RAIs) will be issued as needed for this action. |
| RAI Response |
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| Final Documentation |
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| Estimated Completion |
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Date as included in acceptance review |
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| Request to Revise Operating License and Technical Specifications to Support Resumption of Power Operations |
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ADAMS Accession No. |
Document Date |
Other Information |
| Pre-Submittal Meeting |
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| Submittal |
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| Acceptance Review |
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| RAI Letter |
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RAIs will be issued as needed for this action. |
| RAI Response |
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| Final Documentation |
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| Estimated Completion |
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Date as included in acceptance review |
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| Request to Revise the Physical Security Plan to Support Resumption of Power Operations |
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ADAMS Accession No. |
Document Date |
Other Information |
| Pre-Submittal Meeting |
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| Submittal |
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| Acceptance Review |
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| RAI Letter |
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RAIs will be issued as needed for this action. |
| RAI Response |
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| Final Documentation |
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| Estimated Completion |
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Date as included in acceptance review |
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| Request to Reinstate the Emergency Plan to Support Resumption of Power Operations |
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ADAMS Accession No. |
Document Date |
Other Information |
| Pre-Submittal Meeting |
ML25090A247 |
04/01/2025 |
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| Submittal |
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| Acceptance Review |
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| RAI Letter |
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RAIs will be issued as needed for this action. |
| RAI Response |
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| Final Documentation |
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| Estimated Completion |
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Date as included in acceptance review |
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Inspection Activities
Numerous NRC inspections and other oversight activities are planned to assess Constellation’s readiness to restart the CCEC plant. In support of this effort the NRC established Inspection Manual Chapter (IMC) 2562, “Light-Water Reactor Inspection Program for Restart of Reactor Facilities Following Permanent Cessation of Power Operations.” The purpose of IMC 2562 is to:
- Establish oversight policies, requirements, and guidance for transitioning from a decommissioning reactor facility to an operational power reactor facility subject to the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP).
- Detail the requirements for the inspection activities and operational plant readiness to provide reasonable assurance for safe operations following reactivation of an operating license.
- Ensure other federal agencies, state and local governments, tribal governments, the public, and other applicable stakeholders are engaged and informed.
The NRC has assembled a site-specific inspection plan for the oversight activities necessary to assess the effectiveness of Constellation’s actions related to the potential restart of CCEC in accordance with the NRC’s health, safety, and environmental standards. The series of inspections will provide input for developing an objective and documented basis for any NRC decision to transition CCEC back to the operating reactor inspection program and resume commercial power operations.
Publicly available inspection reports from the activities completed to date related to the efforts to resume power operations at CCEC will be listed below as they become available.
Previous NRC inspection reports from the operational period for TMI-1, covering the year 2000 through the shutdown date of September 26, 2019, have been made available for reference on the Search Inspection Reports For Operating Power Reactors tool and filtering for "Three Mile Island 1 (289)", using the “Site/Plant Selection” option. Note that these inspection reports do not cover the decommissioning activities completed to date at the site.
To sign up to receive NRC correspondence related to the CCEC decommissioning, potential restart, and inspection activities join the CCEC listserv distribution by filling out the Operating Reactor Correspondence form with your email information.
Public Meetings
The NRC will engage in several pre-submittal interactions with the CCEC staff on various topics related to the potential for restart, and will continue to host public meetings related to the potential for the CCEC to resume power operations throughout the project.
Continue to check the NRC Public Meeting Page for information on any additional meetings on the CCEC Restart Project and associated actions.
Additional Activities
- On October 23, 2024, Constellation provided notice to the NRC of its intent to pursue subsequent license renewal as governed by 10 CFR 54, “Requirements for Renewal of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants.” According to the notice, Constellation plans to submit an application for a second renewed operating license for the CCEC during the first quarter of 2029. Additional information regarding the NRC’s subsequent license renewal process can be found on the NRC’s public website under the Reactor License Renewal heading.
- On December 6, 2024, Constellation submitted the Constellation Energy Generation, LLC, Decommissioning Quality Assurance Program, as well as the Crane Clean Energy Center Restoration Quality Assurance Program for informational purposes.
- On December 19, 2024, Constellation provided the results of an examination of the TMI-1 steam generator tubing conducted in Spring 2024. This was the first examination of the steam generator tubing since the plant shutdown in September 2019, at the end of Cycle 22. As documented in the associated Steam Generator Tube Inspection Report, the observed degradation in the TMI-1 steam generators identified during the Spring 2024 inspection did not challenge structural and leakage integrity requirements during the previous operating cycle, which was the last cycle TMI-1 operated before shutdown.
- On January 13. 2025, Constellation submitted a license amendment request to approve a formal change of the facility name from Three Mile Island, Unit 1 to the Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center. This amendment was accepted for formal NRC review on January 23, 2025. By amendment no. 306, dated May 13, 2025, the NRC staff approved Constellation’s request to rename the facility.
- On March 31, 2025, Constellation submitted a request in accordance with 10 CFR 50.55a(g)(4)(iv) to use the 2013 Edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section XI, for performing non-destructive examination and repair and replacement activities at the CCEC. The current code of record is the 2004 Edition. This request was accepted for formal NRC review on May 6, 2025.
For additional questions please use the NRC’s newly established email address for topics specifically concerning the potential restart of the CCEC, which is CraneEnergyRestartProject@nrc.gov. Correspondence sent to this address will be routed to the appropriate NRC program office as needed, including the Office of Public Affairs.