The owner of Three Mile Island said Wednesday that the nuclear plant will shut down by Sept. 30, 2019, as it’s now clear that the state legislature will not be able to act on bills that would prevent the shutdown before June 1.

“Today is a difficult day for our employees, who were hopeful that state policymakers would support valuing carbon-free nuclear energy the same way they value other forms of clean energy in time to save TMI from a premature closure,” said Bryan Hanson, senior vice president and chief nuclear officer for plant owner Exelon Generation.

The plant had previously announced plans to shut down the plant by the end of September, but said that could be prevented if legislation were approved by June 1. Bills were introduced in the House and Senate that would recognize nuclear plants as sources of carbon-free electricity and create new requirements about how electric utilities are to purchase power. They add nuclear energy to Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard, a 2004 law mandating utilities buy power from certain clean and alternative energy sources, like wind and solar.

But with only three legislation session days remaining in May, Exelon said there is little hope that the June 1 deadline can be met.

“Although we see strong support in Harrisburg and throughout Pennsylvania to reduce carbon emissions and maintain the environmental and economic benefits provided by nuclear energy, we don’t see a path forward for policy changes before the June 1 fuel purchasing deadline for TMI,” said Kathleen Barrón, Exelon senior vice president, government and regulatory affairs and public policy.

The company said two years ago that it employed 675 workers and contracted with another 1,500 local union workers for periodic refueling. It said in a news release Wednesday that it is working to aid employees in the transition, and said many have already accepted placement elsewhere within the company.

Last month, Exelon Generation filed the federally required Post Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report detailing plans for TMI after its final shutdown, including transitioning staff in three phases down to 50 full-time employees by 2022.

In the filing, Exelon Generation selected “SAFSTOR,” one of three decommissioning options for the plant, and outlined a plan to dismantle large components, including the station’s cooling towers, beginning in 2074.