The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a final environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact for the proposed restart of the Christopher Crane Clean Energy Center in Pennsylvania. The plant was formerly known as Three Mile Island unit 1 and shut down for decommissioning in 2019. The Department of Energy Office of Energy Dominance Financing joined the NRC as a cooperating agency on the document.

The NRC released a draft version for public comment in June. The final documents evaluate the reasonably foreseeable environmental effects of reauthorizing power operations at the 835 MWe reactor. Publication of the finding allows Constellation to proceed without preparing a full environmental impact statement, a step that shortens the federal review timeline.

The Office of Energy Dominance Financing closed a $1 billion loan to Constellation Energy Generation last year to help pay for the restart. Constellation told World Nuclear News that the project remains ahead of schedule and is on track to return 835 megawatts of power to the grid in 2027.

Before the 2019 shutdown, the unit held a renewed operating license valid until April 19, 2034. Constellation has filed an exemption request and three license amendment requests with the NRC to allow power operations to resume through that original expiration date. The company has also said it will seek to extend operation beyond that date, to 2054.

The environmental finding is one of several federal approvals the restart requires. The license actions Constellation submitted remain under NRC review.

Source: World Nuclear News - https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/nrc-completes-environmental-review-of-crane-restart