Vermont Yankee

The House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday approved legislation that would require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to produce a report on “best practices” for establishing local advisory boards near nuclear power plants undergoing decommissioning. The language was included in an amendment from Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.). The panel […]

Entergy said recently it has shipped 782,000 gallons of contaminated groundwater from its shuttered Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant to a disposal facility in Tennessee. Another shipment was scheduled for today, the power company said in a June 28 update to Vermont’s Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel. Groundwater has been seeping into the turbine room […]

The parties to the planned sale of the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant hope to secure state regulatory approval within a month after the federal government signs off on the deal, according to a filing this week. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to decide sometime in the third quarter of this year […]

The parties to the planned sale of the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant hope to secure state regulatory approval just a month after the federal government signs off on the deal, according to a filing this week. Staff at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to decide sometime in the third quarter of […]

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 […]

NorthStar Group Services on Monday told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission it will have sufficient funds to both decommission the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant and manage its spent fuel. The New York City company was responding to the agency’s latest request for additional information as it reviews the application to transfer the NRC license […]

By John Stang The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission might not sign off on the sale of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant until the third quarter of the year, according to the head of prospective buyer NorthStar Group Services. NorthStar CEO Scott State made that observation on May 11 during an evidentiary hearing in the […]

By John Stang Entergy and NorthStar Group Services are delaying providing extra financial information to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the planned sale of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant by just over two weeks. The NRC has questions about whether Entergy and NorthStar have their finances in order to complete decommissioning of the […]

Entergy and NorthStar Group Services are delaying providing extra financial information to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the proposed Vermont Yankee sale by little more than two weeks. Approval by NRC and the Vermont Public Utility Commission are required for the sale to proceed. The NRC has questions about whether Entergy and NorthStar have […]

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 […]

Despite its lack of movement for nearly a year, there remains hope for legislation intended to give a strong push for building a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, a senior official with the nuclear industry’s policy organization said this week. Rep. John Shimkus’ (R-Ill.) H.R. 3053, the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act […]

By John Stang Entergy said this week it has not determined yet when it will restart moving spent nuclear fuel at its retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The power company halted spent fuel transfer from wet to dry storage on March 10 after a broken bolt was found in a Holtec International spent fuel […]

By John Stang The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking confirmation that no financial pitfalls await the transfer of the license for the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant from Entergy to NorthStar Group Services. In an April 5 request for additional information, the industry regulator said “NRC staff is unable to find that the […]

By John Stang Holtec International has sought to allay concerns about a broken bolt in one of the canisters being used to move and store spent fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California. “All of the safety criteria in the SONGS (interim dry storage facility) are fulfilled even if one postulates that […]

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Orano USA and Waste Control Specialists (WCS) are just weeks from formalizing their partnership to license, build, and operate a facility for centralized interim storage of spent nuclear reactor fuel, new WCS CEO Scott State said Monday. The joint venture, announced last week, will be called Interim Storage Partners. Its first job […]

Several parties to the state regulatory review of the sale of the shuttered Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant on March 9 called for approval of the new memorandum of understanding that lays out financial-assurance and site-restoration commitments for the deal. All but one of the parties to the Vermont Public Utility Commission proceeding agreed to […]

Several parties to the state regulatory review of the sale of the shuttered Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant on Friday called for approval of the new memorandum of understanding that lays out financial-assurance and site-restoration commitments for the deal. All but one of the parties to the Vermont Public Utility Commission proceeding agreed to the […]

By John Stang The owner and prospective buyer of the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant have agreed to a set of financial assurance and site-cleanup terms that should help the sale pass the state’s regulatory review. All but one of the parties authorized to intervene in the Vermont Public Utility Commission (PUC) process signed […]

A proposed timetable was submitted Monday for the Vermont Public Utility Commission to review the proposed sale of the closed Vermont Yankee reactor site from Entergy to NorthStar Group Services. All but one of the parties authorized to intervene in the PUC review of the sale — including Entergy, NorthStar, three Vermont state agencies, and […]

The owner and prospective buyer of the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant have agreed to a set of financial assurance and site-cleanup terms that should help the deal pass the state’s regulatory review. Most of the parties authorized to intervene in the Vermont Public Utility Commission (PUC) process signed on to the settlement agreement […]

By John Stang There was no word early Friday afternoon on an anticipated memorandum of understanding among the parties authorized to intervene in the state of Vermont’s regulatory review of the sale of the shuttered Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. A number of the parties said last week they anticipated an agreement addressing remaining points […]

By John Stang Parties to a state regulatory review of the planned sale of the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant said Wednesday they anticipate within two weeks reaching agreement on remaining points of contention. “The Parties anticipate that a Memorandum of Understanding will be filed with the Commission by March 2, 2018, that addresses […]

Parties to a state regulatory review of the planned sale of the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant said Wednesday they anticipate within two weeks reaching agreement on remaining points of contention. “The Parties anticipate that a Memorandum of Understanding will be filed with the Commission by March 2, 2018, that addresses financial assurances and […]

The Vermont Public Utility Commission has scheduled a status conference for 1:30 p.m. Friday regarding talks on the proposed sale of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The conference date aligns with the request from the parties in their Feb. 16 motion, but two days later than had been requested earlier in the month. A […]

Two lawmakers from Vermont are again pressing legislation intended to provide states with more say in the planning for decommissioning of nuclear power plants. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) and Rep. Peter Welch (D) filed the Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Act of 2018 in their respective chambers on Wednesday. They previously introduced largely identical legislation in the […]

Parties to the state regulatory review for the planned sale of the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant on Friday reported “substantial progress” in resolving two key points of dispute in the deal. That could open the door for the Vermont Public Utility Commission to reschedule hearings postponed from last month and continue its decision-making process. […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff last week formally signed off on exemptions in operation of a spent fuel storage facility for the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The Feb. 2 safety evaluation report follows a Jan. 11 environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact by agency staff for those same exemptions requested by plant owner Entergy. […]

The Vermont Public Utility Commission on Friday again pushed back its schedule for the review of the proposed sale of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant to allow for more talks by a host of involved parties on the deal. A status conference set for Monday has been delayed to a yet-undetermined date, according to […]

By John Stang A week after announcing that private-equity firm J.F. Lehman had acquired Waste Control Specialists (WCS), the companies are largely closed-mouth about details of the deal. The involved parties – Lehman, WCS, and former owner Valhi Inc. – announced the sale in three separate press releases after market close on Friday, Jan. 26. […]

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 […]