A nuclear power plant long considered to be the oldest in America shut down Monday, the victim of its age and inability to compete with newer, cheaper gas-fired power plants, AP reported.

The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey went offline at noon Monday, powering down without incident for the final time after nearly a half-century of operation.

Oyster Creek and the Nine Mile Point Nuclear Generating Station near Oswego, New York both went into operation in December 1969. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission had long listed both facilities as going online Dec. 1, 1969 — a date the agency acknowledged on Monday is incorrect.

There are now 98 remaining nuclear power plants in the U.S., said NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan.