Nuclear industry sees revival

Those were not the concerns 25 years ago.

On the morning of March 28, 1979, a series of events unfolded that would rivet world attention on a nuclear power plant in central Pennsylvania. Three Mile Island would become a catchword for the industry's perils and shortcomings.

For five days, there was a fear the reactor at the plant near Harrisburg, Pa., might unleash tons of radioactivity and perhaps even explode. Some worried that the radioactive fuel could eat through the containment floor, spew radiation down the Susquehanna River, and contaminate the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

In fact, the reactor core meltdown resulted in little release of radiation, and there was no evidence of long-term harm to public health. But it was a watershed for the nuclear industry and the government officials who regulate it.

"Few experts thought that such a severe accident was even likely to happen," said Nils Diaz, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "Confidence in the technology was very high."

The accident exposed an industry complacent and ill-informed, and government regulators who, for a time, could not even communicate with those inside the plant to understand the seriousness of what was unfolding.

"Up until TMI, the industry said, `Trust us. We're the experts.' After TMI, the public said, `We don't trust the experts anymore,' " said Representative Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts.

The industry cites statistics that it says indicate reactors have never been safer. The number of NRC reportable events has dropped every year to 0.02 per unit; automatic reactor shutdowns have declined to less than 1 per unit, and half the plants report none. Plants are producing power on average at better than 90 percent of their capacity.

Those in reactor control rooms are better educated. Nuclear executives are better trained. Direct lines now link the NRC to every reactor control room.