Holtec International

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) has formally objected to commercial plans for an interim storage facility in the state for spent fuel from U.S. nuclear power reactors. Holtec International, of Camden, N.J., has applied for a 40-year license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a facility that ultimately could hold up to […]

By John Stang Discussion on whether a state’s consent is needed for it to host a major nuclear waste repository flared up and then went unresolved at a Thursday hearing in Congress. The session of the House Energy and Commerce environment and climate change subcommittee, called to discuss three bills on radioactive waste storage and […]

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) has formally objected to commercial plans for an interim storage facility in the state for spent fuel from U.S. nuclear power reactors. Holtec International, of Camden, N.J., has applied for a 40-year license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a facility that ultimately could hold up to […]

The nuclear watchdog organization Beyond Nuclear filed an appeal this week with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory commission to try to overturn an earlier ruling that rejected petitions for an evidentiary hearing to contest Holtec International’s license application for a spent nuclear fuel storage facility in southeastern New Mexico. Beyond Nuclear filed its appeal Monday. The […]

The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station shut down permanently late Friday afternoon. Entergy hopes by the end of the year to sell the Cape Cod property to Holtec International, which would assume all responsibility for cleanup and spent fuel management, along with the trust fund that will pay for the work. In 2015, the New Orleans-based power […]

By John Stang The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts was preparing to permanently shut down Friday, ahead of what its owner and prospective buyer hope will be a rapid decommissioning. “#FYI Tomorrow, Friday, May 31, control room operators at @PilgrimNuclear Power Station will shut down the reactor for the final time,” Entergy tweeted on […]

By John Stang The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave the green light Tuesday for resumption of loading used nuclear fuel into dry storage at the retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California. The decision puts plant majority owner Southern California Edison (SCE) and fuel offloading contractor Holtec International on a direct path to […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave the green light Tuesday for resumption of loading used nuclear fuel into dry storage at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California. The actual work will resume after plant majority owner Southern California Edison (SCE) and fuel offloading contractor Holtec International review their readiness to restart operations.  […]

By John Stang Holtec International’s founder and top executive lashed out earlier this month at a California citizens advisory panel that criticized its work at the retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). President and CEO Kris Singh was responding to an April 8 memo by the three top members of the SONGS Community Engagement […]

The California Coastal Commission is tentatively scheduled in June to consider a permit that would allow major decommissioning to begin at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California. “Commission staff is presently planning on the item being heard at the Commission’s June meeting, but this schedule is not final and could be subject […]

A panel of administrative judges at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday rejected all petitions for an evidentiary hearing to contest Holtec International’s license application for a spent nuclear fuel storage facility in southeastern New Mexico. The three-member Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) ruled that only three of six petitioning groups proved they […]

SHINE Medical Technologies on Thursday broke ground on a production plant for the medical isotope molybdendum-99. The 43,000-square-foot plant in Janesville, Wis., will ultimately house eight accelerator-based manufacturing systems that could meet more than one-third of worldwide need for the isotope, SHINE said in a press release. The company has said it hopes to reach […]

A panel of administrative judges at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday rejected all petitions for evidentiary hearings to contest Holtec International’s license application for a spent nuclear fuel storage facility in southeastern New Mexico. The three-member Atomic Safety and Licensing Board ruled that only three of six petitioning groups proved standing to participate […]

Holtec International said Monday it was beginning two months of final testing of the dry-storage facility for used nuclear fuel at the onetime Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. “These functional dry runs follow a long series of exhaustive tests of the individual systems, structures and components within the spent nuclear fuel processing and storage […]

The San Diego advocacy group Public Watchdogs is suing a California state agency to prevent decommissioning of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) until a new environmental review of the project is conducted. At issue is the California State Lands Commission’s approval on March 21 of an agency staff environmental impact report (EIR) on […]

The San Diego advocacy group Public Watchdogs is suing a California state agency to prevent decommissioning of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) until a new environmental review of the project is published. At issue is the California State Lands Commission’s approval on March 21 of an environmental impact report (EIR) on decommissioning the […]

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wy.) is reviving legislation aimed at moving the federal government closer to resolving the decades-long impasse over disposal of the nation’s nuclear waste. Barrasso on Wednesday unveiled the discussion draft of the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2019, which is largely identical to the same-named bill introduced in 2017 by Rep. […]

Southern California Edison (SCE) plans in early May to hire a consultant to help develop a strategic plan for off-site relocation of spent reactor fuel now stored at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The anticipated hiring is one element in the utility’s effort to meet its commitments under a 2017 settlement over construction […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this week it would not penalize Holtec International for two violations of federal regulations during an update to the design of a spent nuclear fuel storage cask. The Camden, N.J., energy technology company could have incurred a $36,250 fine for one safety violation, NRC Office of Enforcement Director George […]

Southern California Edison (SCE) plans in early May to hire a consultant to help develop a strategic plan for off-site relocation of spent reactor fuel now stored at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The anticipated hiring is one element in the utility’s effort to meet its commitments under a 2017 settlement over construction […]

Top casino and tourism executives in Nevada on Monday told Congress that moving forward with the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository could be devastating for the state’s economic future. In an open letter to the members of the House and Senate, Las Vegas Sands President and CEO Sheldon Adelson and 11 other executives said Yucca […]

A quasi-judicial Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is scheduled on May 10 to decide which organizations are authorized to intervene in the license application for a temporary storage facility in New Mexico for spent fuel from nuclear power reactors. The same three-person board would then begin adjudicating corresponding […]

By John Stang Holtec International has determined that scratches and abrasions on spent nuclear fuel storage canisters do not represent a safety danger at a closed nuclear power plant in California, executives told U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials on Wednesday. However, Holtec critics at the same meeting argued that today’s scratches could lead to major […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday urged a federal appeals court to dismiss an anti-nuclear advocacy group’s motion demanding the agency rule on the legality of two license applications for interim storage of spent nuclear power reactor fuel. Beyond Nuclear filed its petition for review in December with the U.S. Court of Appeals for […]

By John Stang Holtec International and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission are scheduled next week to discuss scratches on canisters used in the company’s HI-STORM UMAX spent nuclear fuel storage system. The public meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday at NRC headquarters in North Bethesda, Md. During the two-hour session, Holtec will “present technical details […]

The commonwealth of Massachusetts this week forcefully pushed back against the suggestion that it not be given party status in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission review of the license transfer application for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. Power company Entergy is scheduled to close Pilgrim by May 31, then hopes this year to sell the […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday urged a federal appeals court to dismiss an anti-nuclear advocacy group’s motion demanding the agency rule on the legality of two license applications for interim storage of spent nuclear power reactor fuel. Beyond Nuclear filed its petition for review in December with the U.S. Court of Appeals for […]

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators suggested Wednesday it is gearing up for another legislative campaign to authorize interim storage of the nation’s growing stockpile of nuclear waste. Senate Appropriations energy and water development subcommittee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said he hopes to meet within two weeks with panel Ranking Member Dianne Feinstei (D-Calif.), the […]

By John Stang The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday it intends to fine Southern California Edison $116,000 for an August 2018 mishap in handling of used reactor fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). While it has 30 days to contest the decision, the California utility said it would pay the penalty. […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday it intends to fine Southern California Edison $116,000 for an August 2018 misplay in handling of used reactor fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). While it has 30 days to contest the decision, the California utility said it would pay the penalty. “Southern California Edison […]