The 45-year-old reactor, Three Mile Island Unit 1, will generate its last kilowatt of energy and close today at noon.  Although it was licensed to operate through April 2034, Exelon had decided this year that it could no longer run the plant profitably without a subsidy.

“Today we celebrate the proud legacy of TMI Unit 1 and the thousands of employees who shared our commitment to safety, operational excellence and environmental stewardship for nearly five decades,” Bryan Hanson, Exelon’s senior vice president and chief nuclear officer, said in a prepared statement.

“At a time when our communities are demanding more clean energy to address climate change, it’s regrettable that state law does not support the continued operation of this safe and reliable source of carbon-free power,” he said.

Around 700 people work at the plant, making it the biggest employer in its county.  Exelon has said that it would reassign all affected workers to other positions in the company.

With TMI’s shuttering, it leaves 97 commercial reactors at 59 plants located across 30 states.