Background to the 1987 Shutdown at Peach Bottom

 In 1987, PECO was ordered by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to 

shutdown Peach Bottom-2 and -3 on March 31, 1987 due to operator 

misconduct, corporate malfeasance and blatant disregard for the health and 

safety of area. This was the first and only occasion that the NRC ordered a 

nuclear power plant shut down.  Zack Pate, President of the Institute for Nuclear 

Power Operations, declared that Peach Bottom “was an embarrassment to the 

industry and to the nation...The grossly unprofessional behavior by a wide range 

of shift personnel...reflects a major breakdown in the management of a nuclear 

facility.”