Commercial Decommissioning

Idaho’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on Friday expressed no misgivings about a preliminary federal finding that there would be no major impact in renewing the license for continued in-state storage of waste from the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. The state agency, though, reminded the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission that the […]

Three more nuclear power plants operated by Exelon Generation are at risk of early closure, parent company Exelon Corp. said Friday in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. “Generation’s Dresden, Byron, and Braidwood nuclear plants in Illinois are also showing increased signs of economic distress, which could lead to an early retirement, […]

A Chicago-based environmental organization has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reconsider a proposed decision to dismiss a petition against nuclear power operator FirstEnergy Corp. over the state of decommissioning funding for three power plants due to close in coming years. The facts that form the basis for the proposed NRC director’s decision will be […]

U.S. Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) on Friday announced creation of a task force to study safety issues at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in his state. “Today I’m launching a task force made up of local stakeholders and experts to tackle the enormous safety challenges we face with the San Onofre Nuclear Generating […]

The utility that operates California’s last operational nuclear power plant said Monday it anticipates filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection by Jan. 29 in order to reorganize its operations. The boards of directors for Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. and subsidiary utility PG&E Co. have determined “that commencing reorganization cases under Chapter 11 of the U.S. […]

Radiological decontamination and decommissioning of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California should be completed within a decade of its permanent retirement, a community panel recommended this week. “The decommissioning (decontamination) process should begin immediately upon shutdown with a goal of 10 years for completion of radiological decommissioning and decontamination, avoiding SAFSTOR (which allows […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a public meeting for Jan. 15 to discuss the post-shutdown decommissioning activities report (PSDAR) and decommissioning cost estimate for the Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Massachusetts. Owner Entergy plans to shut down the single-reactor facility on Cape Cod by June 1 of this year. In the PSDAR submitted to […]

By John Stang The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved significant reductions in the amounts of insurance the newly retired Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station must carry. The reductions cover both on-site and off-site insurance plant owner Exelon must keep at the single-reactor New Jersey facility, according to Dec. 28 notices in the Federal Register. Exelon […]

The majority owner of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California has requested a public meeting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to discuss potential safety violations connected to an Aug. 3 mishap in transfer of spent reactor fuel. “As discussed, SCE has decided to use Pre-decisional Enforcement Conference (PEC} for the two apparent […]

Holtec Decommissioning International (HDI) expects to move all of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station’s used fuel assemblies from wet storage to dry storage by 2023, according to documents submitted earlier this month to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The data point is included in a set of documents provided as part of the Nov. 16 […]

Holtec Decommissioning International (HDI) expects to move all of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station’s used fuel assemblies from wet storage to dry storage by 2023, according to documents submitted earlier this month to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The data point is included in a set of documents provided as part of the Nov. 16 […]

By John Stang Entergy and Holtec International are at least a couple weeks behind schedule in submitting the license transfer application and associated paperwork for the proposed sale of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. In late September, the two companies said they anticipated they would in October deliver to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Nov. 8 will conduct an online public meeting to discuss its preliminary findings on a spent fuel handling error at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California. In an initial report issued earlier this month, NRC staff cited “multiple performance deficiencies” by Southern California Edison, majority owner […]

“Multiple performance deficiencies” contributed to a mishap in transfer of spent reactor fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California, and could have led to a storage container being dropped nearly 20 feet, according to initial findings from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Agency personnel are investigating the incident, including a site […]

By John Stang FirstEnergy Solutions is backing a new lobbying group that aims to prevent the closure of the company’s two nuclear power plants in Ohio. The Ohio Clean Energy Jobs Alliance is a coalition of local -level government, business, and labor leaders who plan to lobby the Ohio state government to help keep FirstEnergy’s Davis-Besse […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has tentatively determined there would be no environmental impact from renewing the license for a storage pad for waste from reactor Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. The Department of Energy has requested a 20-year renewal of the license for the independent spent fuel […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has tentatively determined there would be no environmental impact from renewing the license for a storage pad for radioactive waste from reactor Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. The Department of Energy has requested a 20-year renewal of the license for the independent spent […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Sept. 28 it expects to need at least a couple extra weeks to issue its decision on the license transfer for the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. “[W]e have been saying we anticipated issuing a decision by the end of the third quarter,” NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said by email. […]

By John Stang All used nuclear fuel has been removed from the newly retired reactor at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey, according to a Sept. 25 letter from plant owner Exelon to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The short message, submitted by Exelon Vice President for Licensing and Decommissioning Michael Gallagher, […]

A nuclear industry specialist has been selected to lead the AECOM-EnergySolutions joint venture that will decommission the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California. The companies announced Wednesday that Tom Dieter would succeed AECOM Senior Vice President Matt Marston as executive sponsor at SONGS Decommissioning Solutions. Dieter’s over 32 years of work in management […]

By John Stang California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) announced Wednesday he had signed legislation intended to offset potentially harmful economic impacts from the pending closure of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Senate Bill 1090 was among several dozen bills signed by the governor, according to a statement from his office. Owner Pacific Gas & […]

By John Stang Southern California Edison apparently became confused on how soon it should alert the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to an Aug. 3 mishap in transferring spent fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California. Contractor Holtec International has been moving the spent fuel at the retired nuclear power plant in San Diego […]

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) announced Wednesday he had signed legislation intended to offset potentially harmful economic impacts from the pending closure of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Senate Bill 1090 was among several dozen bills signed by the governor, according to a statement from his office. Owner Pacific Gas & Electric is scheduled […]

Southern California Edison apparently became confused on how soon it should alert the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to an Aug. 3 mishap in transferring spent fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California. Contractor Holtec International has been moving the spent fuel at the retired nuclear power plant in San Diego County facility from […]

By John Stang Residents near the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in California made clear last week they want to keep the property largely undeveloped, with a sprinkling of trails, after the property is cleaned up. The Diablo Canyon Community Engagement Panel listened on Aug. 29 in San Luis Obispo to 26 members of the public […]

Less than one year before its scheduled closure, the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts remains in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s lowest safety ranking allowed for an atomic energy plant to remain operational. The NRC made the determination in its latest quarterly performance evaluation for the single-reactor facility in Plymouth, made public on Thursday. It […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is accepting public input on an application for a 40-year license renewal for operation of the independent spent fuel storage installation at the decommissioned Rancho Seco nuclear power plant in Herald, Calif. Like other nuclear power operators around the country, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is waiting for the […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering an application for a 40-year license extension for operation of the independent spent fuel storage installation at the decommissioned Rancho Seco nuclear power plant in Herald, Calif. Like other nuclear power operators around the country, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is waiting for the Department of Energy […]

By John Stang The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Petition Review Board recently agreed to review a request to determine whether FirstEnergy Solutions should be found in breach of its federal requirement to ensure it can fund decommissioning of three nuclear power plants scheduled for closure in coming years. The NRC sent a memo to that effect […]

The August doldrums in Washington weren’t quite as quiet as in past years, and there was plenty of news during the ExchangeMonitor’s annual publication break. As chronicled in the Weapons Complex Morning Briefing, here are a few stories we’ve been following. Parties Aim for Regulatory OK For Vermont Yankee Sale by Oct. 31 Parties to the […]