Commercial Decommissioning

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 […]

The U.S. Department of Justice appears to be running out of patience after failing to reach a settlement agreement by a deadline Friday in a lawsuit with Washington Closure Hanford, a former Hanford Site prime cleanup contractor. The Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit against Washington Closure, alleging it knowingly awarded small business subcontracts […]

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 […]

FirstEnergy Solutions’ recent bankruptcy filing does not absolve it of legal obligations cemented in its nuclear-power licenses, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “The NRC licenses remain in full effect, even beyond their stated expiration date, until terminated in writing by NRC,” Louise Lund, director of the NRC’s Division of Licensing Projects, wrote in an April 6 […]

By John Stang President Donald Trump said Thursday his administration will look into a corporate request to keep FirstEnergy Solutions’ four nuclear power reactors afloat — a statement made after having a Wednesday dinner with a lobbyist for the Ohio company’s parent corporation, FirstEnergy Corp. In the wake of filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection […]

An expert panel met March 27 to begin work on recommendations for potential locations for off-site storage of spent fuel from the retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), along with a plan for moving the radioactive waste. The panel has not made any of its discussions public yet, said Maureen Brown, spokeswoman for SONGS primary […]

A federal bankruptcy judge in Akron, Ohio, has set an April 16 hearing on whether FirstEnergy Solutions should be held to $765 million worth of contracts as it seeks Chapter 11 protection. Judge Alan Koschik granted FirstEnergy Solutions a temporary injunction Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Ohio to prevent the […]

A federal judge has given former Hanford Site contractor Washington Closure Hanford and the Department of Justice a three-week extension to finalize a settlement agreement in a civil lawsuit over alleged subcontracting fraud. Judge Salvador Mendoza Jr. on Monday set a deadline for April 13. If the deadline is not met, a status conference will […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers anticipates completing decommissioning of the reactor on the radioactively contaminated STURGIS barge by June, after which what remains of the former floating nuclear power plant will be transported for shipbreaking. “We’re getting really close. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we can tell […]

A federal judge has given former Hanford Site contractor Washington Closure Hanford and the Department of Justice a three-week extension to finalize a settlement agreement in a civil lawsuit over alleged subcontracting fraud. Judge Salvador Mendoza Jr. on Monday set a deadline for April 13. If the deadline is not met, a status conference will […]

By John Stang Holtec International is studying why an aluminum pin broke off inside a cask designed to store spent nuclear fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California. Tom Palmisano, vice president and chief nuclear officer at SONGS for majority owner Southern California Edison (SCE), briefed the public on the matter at a […]

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has formally requested to withdraw its application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for renewal of reactor Units 1 and 2 at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. The utility instead plans to shut down California’s last operational atomic energy facility within a decade. “PG&E hereby requests to withdraw the […]

San Clemente, Calif., Mayor Tim Brown has invited Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) to visit the retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Plant (SONGS). In a Feb. 7 letter to the lawmaker, posted this week on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission website, Brown said a visit by Harris “could result in sharpened policy push to recognize communities near […]

The majority owner of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California is still waiting for state approval to begin full decontamination and decommissioning of the plant following its permanent closure in 2013. In a March 8 inspection report for SONGS, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said decommissioning general contractor SONGS Decommissioning Solutions (SDS) […]

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 […]

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 […]

Federal tax reform legislation passed by the U.S. Congress in December impaired Entergy’s earnings for its latest quarter and full-year 2017. For the fourth quarter, the utility company reported a $479 million loss ($2.66 per share) on an as-reported basis, compared to a gain of $138 million ($0.76 per share) on an operational, non-generally accepted […]

A United Kingdom House of Commons committee on Wednesday lashed the government’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for its handling of a multibillion-pound contract for nuclear-reactor decommissioning that is being canceled early following an expensive legal challenge. An excessively complicated contract process led to selection of the “wrong supplier,” Cavendish Fluor Partnership, and then to a nearly […]

A hearing has been set for April 5 on motions to dismiss a California watchdog group’s lawsuit against storage of spent reactor fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). Public Watchdogs has no standing to sue in the matter, among several breakdowns in its case, SONGS primary owners Southern California Edison (SCE) and […]

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 […]

A United Kingdom House of Commons committee on Wednesday lambasted the government’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for its handling of an expensive contract for nuclear-reactor decommissioning that is being canceled early following an expensive legal challenge. An excessively complicated contract process led to selection of the “wrong bidder,” Cavendish Fluor Partnership, and then to a roughly […]

A hearing has been set for April 5 on a motion to dismiss a California watchdog group’s lawsuit against storage of spent reactor fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). Public Watchdogs has no standing to sue in the matter, among several breakdowns in its case, SONGS primary owners Southern California Edison (SCE) […]

Federal tax reform passed by the U.S. Congress in December impaired Entergy’s earnings for its latest quarter and full-year 2017. For the fourth quarter, the power provider reported a $479 million loss ($2.66 per share) on an as-reported basis, compared to a gain of $138 million ($0.76 per share) on an operational, non-generally accepted accounting […]

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 […]

By John Stang A major chunk of Edison International’s fourth-quarter 2017 net loss of $545 million can be linked to the settlement over costs for premature closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), according to the utility’s latest earnings report Thursday. Edison International lost $1.67 per share in the three-month period ended Dec. 31, […]

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 […]

By John Stang The retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California recently transferred the first two used fuel canisters to its new dry storage site. Right now, roughly a third of SONGS’ 3.55 million pounds of spent reactor fuel is already held in 51 canisters in the original independent spent fuel storage installation. […]

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. […]