Pilgrim

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says its regulatory framework accounts for potential effects from “changing environmental conditions” on spent fuel storage installations at U.S. nuclear power plants. The agency on May 29 responded to an April 23 letter from Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), who had expressed concerns about potential impacts of climate change on used […]

By John Stang Proposed changes in federal rules for nuclear reactors transitioning into decommissioning this week drew little or no concern from three nuclear power providers. Last week, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission unveiled a set of proposed regulations that would be specific to reactors that are no longer operational, covering areas ranging from physical […]

Power company Entergy said Wednesday its earnings rose -m the first quarter of 2018 with assistance from the federal tax break and better weather. The numbers in the company’s nuclear power-intensive Wholesale Commodities segment also improved, though it remained a drag on the overall business. The New Orleans-based utility owner reported consolidated earnings of $133 […]

Power company Entergy said Wednesday earnings rose for the first quarter of 2018 with assistance from the federal tax break and better weather. The numbers in the company’s nuclear power-focused Wholesale Commodities segment also improved, though it remained a drag on the overall business. Entergy reported consolidated earnings of $133 million ($0.73 per share) on […]

By John Stang Entergy does not expect the ongoing shutdown of the Pilgrim Nuclear Generating Station to affect its longer-term plans to close the plant next year, a spokesman said Wednesday. However, members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation want Pilgrim to dramatically improve its performance before then. The utility company declined to say this week […]

The Utah House of Representatives this week passed legislation that would reduce radioactive waste disposal fees paid by EnergySolutions by more than $1.7 million annually. The bill from Rep. John Knotwell (R) would cut the flat fee paid by radioactive waste disposal facilities in the state by the amount they paid in taxes in the […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has completed the first of five planned on-site inspections to evaluate Entergy’s progress in carrying out its operations improvement plan at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. Four NRC officials were on-site from Dec. 4 to Dec. 8, according to a letter from the agency to Entergy, dated Feb. […]

French nuclear fuel cycle company New AREVA officially has a new name as of Tuesday: Orano. Orano is the result of a corporate restructuring AREVA initiated in 2016 that late last year resulted in the sale of the company’s nuclear power business to French utility EDF and other entities. What was left was almost entirely […]

Thomas Gardiner The owner of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (PNPS) in Massachusetts and nuclear watchdogs are questioning the effectiveness of state legislation that would force the company to pay the state $25 million annually for each year decommissioning of the facility remains unfinished after a half-decade. The bill was filed in January in the […]

The owner of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (PNPS) in Massachusetts and nuclear watchdogs are questioning the effectiveness of state legislation that would force the company to pay the state $25 million annually for each year decommissioning of the facility remains unfinished after a half-decade. The bill was filed in January in the Massachusetts General […]

Power company Entergy on Tuesday reported higher earnings on both an as-reported and operational basis for the third quarter of the year. After-tax as-reported earnings rose from $388.2 million ($2.16 per share) in third-quarter 2016 to $398.2 million ($2.21 per share) in the latest earnings period. Operational earnings, on a non-generally accepted accounting principles basis, […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has received formal notice of Entergy’s intent to close its Palisades Power Plant in Michigan more than three years later than it had recently planned. Power operations will end in spring 2022, Charles Arnone, site vice president for Entergy Nuclear Operations, said in a Sept. 28 letter to the NRC. The […]

An AREVA Nuclear Materials-NorthStar Group Services joint venture no longer expects to seal the deal in 2017 on its first acquisitions of nuclear plants for decommissioning, an executive said this week. The two companies in February announced the formation of Accelerated Decommissioning Partners, which would buy closed nuclear plants and take charge of decommissioning, site […]

An AREVA-NorthStar Group Services joint venture no longer expects to seal the deal in 2017 on its first acquisitions of nuclear plants for decommissioning, an executive said Monday. The two companies in February announced the formation of Accelerated Decommissioning Partnership, which would buy closed nuclear plants and then carry out decommissioning, site restoration, and used […]

Thomas Gardiner Degrading safety equipment in the spent nuclear fuel pool at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts forced plant owner and operator Entergy to devise a plan to more than double its current number of used fuel assemblies in dry cask storage. The current storage situation, in which close to 3,000 spent fuel […]

By Wayne Barber Entergy CEO Leo Denault said this week the company is determined to “finish strong” as it winds down operations at its non-utility nuclear power plants including the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. “With critical decisions behind us, our strategy to execute a planned orderly exit of our Merchant business remains on […]

By Wayne Barber Entergy’s efforts to sell the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear plant after its retirement could set a pattern for the nuclear power plant operator, Chairman and CEO Leo Denault said Wednesday. “As we move toward the complete wind-down of our merchant operations we will continue to look for opportunities to divest our nuclear […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday issued a confirmatory action letter laying out the operational corrections power provider Entergy has pledged to make at its Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. The nuclear industry regulator in 2015 placed Pilgrim in Column 4 of its Action Matrix, the lowest safety rating for an operating nuclear reactor, following […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a regulatory conference for Thursday, July 13, to discuss a preliminary “Greater than Green” safety finding at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. Plant operator Entergy requested the meeting to provide its perspective on the finding, which involves its apparent failure to monitor or maintain a valve installed in […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a regulatory conference for Thursday, July 13, to discuss a preliminary “Greater than Green” safety finding at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. Plant operator Entergy requested the meeting to provide its perspective on the finding, which involves its apparent failure to monitor or maintain a valve installed in […]

By Wayne Barber Now that Entergy has completed its final refueling for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Mass., the company and other stakeholders are increasingly looking toward plant retirement in 2019 and the decommissioning process. Entergy completed its final refueling in May. On June 15, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) held an agency […]

A federal judge on May 19 authorized the state of Nevada and nuclear power industry representatives to intervene in Texas’ lawsuit demanding the federal government move ahead expeditiously with a permanent repository for the nation’s nuclear waste. Judge Patrick Higginbotham, of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, did not provide the reasoning for his separate […]

Nonbinding votes throughout Cape Cod, Mass., this spring demonstrated strong support for moving spent reactor fuel at the nearby Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station from wet to dry storage, an anti-nuclear advocacy group said this week. Residents in 14 communities in the region were asked whether their town government should urge Gov. Charlie Baker “to employ […]

The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is providing energy again following a final refueling ahead of its scheduled closure two years from now, operator Entergy said Monday. The 45-year-old Massachusetts nuclear plant was removed from the grid in early April and reconnected at 1:52 a.m. Monday, according to an Energy press release. This was its 21st refueling. “Entergy […]

By Wayne Barber Power provider Entergy is wrestling with regulatory issues for the spent fuel pool at its Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in its latest quarterly report for the Massachusetts facility. Entergy has announced plans to retire the 680-megawatt Pilgrim reactor by June 1, 2019, primarily due to continued low […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that further action is not immediately necessary to ensure safe operations of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. The finding follows a supplemental inspection that ended this year following three NRC site visits to the nuclear plant. “The NRC determined that programs and processes at PNPS adequately support […]

In a decision drawing criticism from activists and lawmakers, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday granted utility Entergy permission to forgo certain post-Fukushima safety measures at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. The regulator ordered a series of safety improvements at U.S. reactor sites after the 2011 triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear […]

In a decision drawing criticism from activists and lawmakers, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday granted utility Entergy permission to forgo certain post-Fukushima safety measures at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. The regulator ordered a series of safety improvements at U.S. reactor sites after the 2011 triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power […]

A group of surfers wearing hazardous materials protection outfits were scheduled Friday afternoon to protest expansion of nuclear waste storage at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in California. The protest is scheduled for 1 p.m. local time at the San Diego Superior Court Hall of Justice, according to a press announcement from the nongovernmental […]

Power provider Entergy on Sunday said it has begun the final refueling of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, just over two years before the Massachusetts facility closes for good. Workers began to power down the 45-year-old plant ahead of what will be its 21st and last refueling, according to a press statement. The utility expects to […]