Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station
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| Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station | |
-2.jpg) The Three Mile Island NPP on Three Mile Island, circa 1979
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| Data | |
|---|---|
| Location | Londonderry Township, PA |
| Coordinates | 40°09′14″N 76°43′29″W / 40.153889°N 76.724722°WCoordinates: 40°09′14″N 76°43′29″W / 40.153889°N 76.724722°W |
| Operator | Exelon Nuclear |
| Built | 1968–1970 |
| Start of commercial operation | September 2, 1974 |
| Reactors | |
| Reactor supplier | Babcock & Wilcox |
| Reactor type | PWR |
| Power | |
| Capacity | 802 MW |
| Total power generation in 2007 | 6,645 GW·h |
| Average annual generation (last 5 yrs) | 6,819 GW·h |
| Status | Operating |
| Other details | |
| Architect | Gilbert Associates |
| Constructors | United Engineers and Constructors |
| License expires | April 19, 2014 |
| NRC region | 1 |
| Website www.threemileislandinfo.com |
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Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station (TMI) is a civilian nuclear power plant located on Three Mile Island in the Susquehanna River, in Londonderry Township, Dauphin County, south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States.[1] It has two separate generators, known as TMI-1 and TMI-2. The plant is best known for having been the site of the worst civilian nuclear accident in United States history on March 28, 1979, when TMI-2 suffered a partial meltdown. According to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the accident resulted in no deaths or injuries to plant workers or members of nearby communities,[2] a contention which is disputed by some academics[who?], journalists[who?] and local residents.[citation needed] The reactor core of TMI-2 has since been removed from the site, but the site has not been decommissioned yet.[3]
Three Mile Island is so named because it is located 3 miles downriver from Middletown, Pennsylvania. The plant was originally built by General Public Utilities Corporation, later renamed GPU Incorporated.[4] The plant was operated by Metropolitan Edison Company (Met-Ed), a subsidiary of the GPU Energy division. During 2001 GPU Inc. merged with FirstEnergy Corporation, through the selling of its outstanding common stock.[5]
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[edit] Three Mile Island Unit 1
The Three Mile Island Unit 1 is a pressurized water reactor designed by Babcock and Wilcox (B&W) with a net generating capacity of 802 MWe. The initial construction cost was $400 million. Unit 1 first came online on 19 April 1974 and began commercial operations on 2 September 1974.[6] TMI-1 is licensed to operate for 40 years from its first run, that means it may operate until 19 April 2014.[7] When TMI-2 suffered its accident in 1979, TMI-1 was offline for refueling. It was brought back online in October 1985, after a number of technical, legal, and regulatory complications. AmeriGen, the current owners, have applied to extend the operating license for another 20 years.[8]
[edit] Three Mile Island Unit 2
The Three Mile Island Unit 2 was also a pressurized water reactor constructed by B&W, similar to Unit 1. The only difference was that TMI-2 was slightly larger with a net generating capacity of 906 MWe, compared to TMI-1 which delivers 802 MWe. Unit 2 received its operating license on 8 February 1978, and began commercial operation on 30 December 1978.[9]
[edit] Accident
On 28 March 1979, there was a cooling system malfunction that caused a partial melt-down of the reactor core. This loss of coolant accident resulted in the release of a significant amount of radioactivity, estimated at 43,000 curies (1.59 PBq) of radioactive krypton gas, but less than 20 curies (740 GBq) of the especially hazardous iodine-131, into the surrounding environment.[2]
The nuclear power industry claims that there were no deaths, injuries or adverse health effects from the accident,[10] but a peer-reviewed study by Steven Wing of the University of North Carolina found that lung cancer and leukemia rates were two to 10 times higher downwind of TMI than upwind, and also showed that there was plant and animal chromosomal damage, but without considering the effects of stress or improved screening.[11] In addition, the Radiation and Public Health Project has reported a spike in infant mortality in the downwind communities two years after the accident,[12] however the group's credibility and methodology have been called into question.[13]
The incident was widely publicized nationally and internationally, and had far-reaching effects on public opinion, particularly in the United States. The China Syndrome, a movie about a nuclear meltdown which was released just 12 days before the disaster, became a blockbuster hit.[14]
[edit] Post-accident
Following the accident, the plant was transferred under the ownership and operation of a new subsidiary company, GPU Nuclear (GPUN), in a bid to disassociate itself from itself.[15] GPUN continued to operate TMI-1 until its 1999 sale to AmerGen Energy Corporation, a joint venture of Philadelphia Electric Company Energy, Inc. (PECO Energy) and British Energy Group Plc.[16]
Exelon Corporation was created in October, 2000 by the merger of PECO Energy Company and Unicom, of Philadelphia and Chicago respectively.[17] Unicom owned Commonwealth Edison. The PECO share in AmerGen was acquired by Exelon during late 2000. Exelon acquired British Energy's share in AmerGen in 2003,[18] and transferred the plant under the direct ownership and operation of its Exelon Nuclear business unit.[19][20]
[edit] References in popular culture
- In the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the island is the location of a secret holding facility for mutants undergoing experimentation, either in addition to or under the guise of a nuclear power plant (it is unclear in the film). During a climactic battle among Wolverine, Sabertooth, and Weapon XI, one of the cooling towers is destroyed. There is some discussion whether this was an allusion to the accident or not, but it is unclear in the film if the meltdown is a result of the battle.
- In the opening chapter of the manga Saint Seiya Episode G, the Three Mile Island Accident is shown to be caused by a renegade apprentice who resented having been denied promotion to Saint level (and the consequent right to don a Saint Cloth). The situation is resolved by Gold Saint Leo Aiolia.
[edit] See also
- Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective
- List of articles about Three Mile Island
[edit] References
- ^ "Three Mile Island". AmerGen - Exelon Corporation. http://www.threemileislandinfo.com. Retrieved on 2008-12-15.
- ^ a b "Fact Sheet on the Three Mile Island Accident". US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/3mile-isle.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-18.
- ^ "Accident at Three Mile Island". Policy Almanac. http://www.policyalmanac.org/environment/archive/three_mile_island.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-12-18.
- ^ "GPU, Inc. -- Company History". http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/GPU-Inc-Company-History.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-01.
- ^ "FirstEnergy - Company history". http://www.firstenergycorp.com/corporate/Corporate_Profile/Company_History.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-01.
- ^ "Power Generation: Three Mile Island Unit 1". Amerigen - Exelon Corporation. http://www.exeloncorp.com/ourcompanies/powergen/nuclear/three_mile_island_unit_-_1.htm. Retrieved on 2008-12-15.
- ^ "Three Mile Island 1 - Pressurized Water Reactor". Nuclear Regulatory Commission. http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactor/tmi1.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-15.
- ^ "Three Mile Island: FAQ". Amerigen - Exelon Corporation. http://www.threemileislandinfo.com/about/faq.aspx. Retrieved on 2008-12-15.
- ^ "Three Mile Island - Unit 2". Nuclear Regulatory Commission. http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/decommissioning/power-reactor/three-mile-island-unit-2.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-15.
- ^ "Three Mile Island: 1979". World Nuclear. http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf36.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-18.
- ^ David Williamson (1997-02-24). "Study suggests Three Mile Island radiation may have injured people living near reactor". UNC-CH News Services. http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/feb97/wing.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-29.
- ^ David Teather (2004-04-13). "US nuclear industry powers back into life". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2004/apr/13/nuclearindustry.usnews. Retrieved on 2008-12-29.
- ^ Andy Newman (2003-11-03). "In Baby Teeth, a Test of Fallout; A Long-Shot Search for Nuclear Peril in Molars and Cuspids". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/11/nyregion/baby-teeth-test-fallout-long-shot-search-for-nuclear-peril-molars-cuspids.html?sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved on 2009-03-31.
- ^ "FAQ for the China Syndrome". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078966/faq#.2.1.3. Retrieved on 2008-12-29.
- ^ "A Corporate History of Three Mile Island". http://www.tmia.com/corp.historyTMI. Retrieved on 2009-04-01.
- ^ "AmerGen Energy Company, LLC". http://www.hoovers.com/amergen-energy/--ID__57636--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml. Retrieved on 2009-04-01.
- ^ "Exelon - Merger Filing". http://www.exeloncorp.com/ourcompanies/peco/pecobiz/energy_rates/filing_information/merger_filing.htm. Retrieved on 2009-04-01.
- ^ "A Corporate History of Three Mile Island - Three Mile Island Alert". http://www.tmia.com/corp.historyTMI. Retrieved on 2009-04-01.
- ^ "Exelon - Three Mile Island Unit - 1". http://www.exeloncorp.com/ourcompanies/powergen/nuclear/three_mile_island_unit_-_1.htm. Retrieved on 2009-04-01.
- ^ "Three Mile Island: About TMI - About Us". http://www.threemileislandinfo.com/about/index.aspx. Retrieved on 2009-04-01.
