Northeast Utilities is working hard to reopen one of its Millstone units, but does not expect to do so until the end of the year at the earliest.

The three Millstone units have a combined capacity of 2,631 megawatts, or nearly half that amount.

Northeast Utilities has said it faces bankruptcy if the Millstone Three unit, the newest and largest of the three reactors, is not opened soon.

Wall Street analysts who follow the company said that the fine did not affect their views about the company's future, which they said turn on whether it succeeds in starting up the Millstone 3 unit on schedule.

The commission found that the company had seriously mismanaged the Millstone units, and last week issued the largest fine in the agency's history - $2.1 million - for more than 50 violations of plant design and safety procedures.

That question is especially relevant at Millstone unit 1, a plant that is nearly 25 years old.

The other two Millstone units are not close to being restarted.

A. The N.R.C. shut down the three Millstone units; they were placed on the N.R.C.'s watch list and require approval to reactivate.

The utility scientists estimate that when all three Millstone units were running, 140 million larvae were lost in the plant's pipes each year.