Commercial Decommissioning

Environmentalists said the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) staff zero-emission credit proposal for upstate nuclear power plants under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Clean Energy Standard would rip off New York consumers, while ignoring cleaner, more affordable energy options. That’s one of the takeaways from comments four environmental groups submitted before PSC’s deadline for public input […]

Edison International recorded a net income of $276 million, or $0.85 per share, for the second quarter of 2016, down from $379 million, or $1.16 per share, in the same period for 2015, the California utility announced Thursday in its latest earning report. Based in Rosemead, Calif., Edison International is the parent company of Southern […]

The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California was intentionally operated past its capacity, creating a steam leak that resulted in the shutdown of the facility’s two operating reactors in 2012, according to a report released Tuesday. Citing Nuclear Regulatory Commission documents obtained through an open records request, Vinod Arora, a former fire protection […]

U.S. There are no on-site safety threats at the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in upstate New York, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined following last month’s leak from the facility that created an oil sheen in Lake Ontario. NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said Monday via email that the oil originated from a vent […]

Parties disputing the $4.7 billion settlement for the premature closing of California’s San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) have not shown that the substantive terms of the deal are unreasonable, plant majority owner Southern California Edison (SCE) argued Thursday. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has reopened the settlement case, which dictates that state ratepayers shoulder […]

The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California was intentionally operated past its capacity, creating a steam leak that resulted in the shutdown of the facility’s two reactors in 2012, according to a report released Tuesday. Citing Nuclear Regulatory Commission documents obtained through an open records request,Vinod Arora, a former fire protection engineer for SONGS […]

There are no on-site safety threats at the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in upstate New York, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined following last month’s leak from the facility that created an oil sheen in Lake Ontario. NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said Monday via email that the oil originated from a vent in the facility’s […]

New York state’s proposed credits for zero-emission nuclear power plants could stave off the scheduled or threatened closure of three facilities upstate, energy providers said this week. Exelon had said in recent months its R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant and Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station would eventually close without state incentives, while Entergy had announced […]

Power company Exelon preliminarily favors putting three nuclear power plants into SAFSTOR when they close in coming years rather than moving directly into decommissioning, a senior manager said this week. That means it could be decades before the facilities begin the process. “I would say we’re probably going to be leaning towards SAFSTOR,” an Exelon […]

The California State Lands Commission announced Tuesday that it would develop a draft environmental impact report for the decommissioning of the last two reactor units at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in San Diego County. It is accepting public input on the scope of the project through Aug. 15, with two meetings scheduled […]

U.S. Pacific Gas & Electric intends on July 28 to file with the California Public Utilities Commission its “joint proposal” to close the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant ln less than a decade and focus its energy production on other greenhouse-gas-free sources. The utility in June announced the plan developed with labor and environmental groups that would boost investment in […]

The California State Lands Commission announced Tuesday that it would develop a draft environmental impact report for the decommissioning of last two reactor units at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in San Diego County. It is accepting public input on the scope of the project through Aug. 15, with two meetings scheduled for […]

Staff at the New York Public Service Commission have proposed an initial zero-emission credit of $17.48 per megawatt hour intended to prevent closure of several upstate nuclear power plants. The proposal, released for public comment on July 8, is part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s planned Clean Energy Standard, which calls for half of all state […]

Pacific Gas & Electric intends on July 28 to file with the California Public Utilities Commission its “joint proposal” to close the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant ln less than a decade and focus its energy production on greenhouse-gas-free sources. The utility in June announced the plan developed with labor and environmental groups that would boost investment in energy efficiency, […]

An EnergySolutions subsidiary expects to complete decommissioning of the La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor in Wisconsin in the first quarter of 2020, according to a revised plan submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The NRC in May OK’d transfer of the license for the reactor from the Dairyland Power Cooperative to LaCrosseSolutions, which is acting […]

A package of legislative reforms for the California Public Utilities Commission calls for the regulatory body to prioritize relocation of spent nuclear fuel now stored at the shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). Gov. Jerry Brown and three state lawmakers last week rolled out a long list of planned reforms for the five-person body […]

Utility Southern California Edison on Thursday argued that any change to the $4.7 billion settlement for the premature closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) would be both unfair and bad for its customers. The California Public Utilities Commission in May reopened the 2014 settlement to determine whether it “is still reasonable in […]

An EnergySolutions subsidiary expects to complete decommissioning of the La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor in Wisconsin in the first quarter of 2020, according to a revised plan submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The NRC in May OK’d transfer of the license for the reactor from the Dairyland Power Cooperative to LaCrosseSolutions, which is acting […]

Seven nuclear reactors, five of them in Japan, were permanently shuttered in 2015, the World Nuclear Association said Tuesday. The list encompasses Grafenrheinfeld in Germany, declared closed in June; Genkai 1, Mihama 1 and 2, Shimane 1, and Tsuruga 1 in Japan, closures dating to just after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that were […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a July 12 meeting to discuss Exelon’s plans to close its Clinton and Quad Cities nuclear power plants in Illinois. “The purpose of this meeting is to afford Exelon, the licensee of Clinton Unit 1 and Quad Cities Units 1 and 2, an opportunity to discuss decommissioning plans and […]

The California State Lands Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a lease update request from Pacific Gas & Electric as part of the utility’s plans to shut down the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. The staff-recommended update terminates two leases covering facility infrastructure on state lands that are due to expire in 2018 and 2019. They are […]

The California State Lands Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a lease update request from Pacific Gas & Electric as part of the utility’s plans to shut down the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. The staff-recommended update terminates two leases covering facility infrastructure on state lands that are due to expire in 2018 and 2019. They are […]

There was no indication this week that critics would file appeals against the state’s certificate of public good for a second spent fuel storage pad at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station. The nongovernmental New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution and the Windham Regional Commission had been seen as the only likely protesters. But representatives from […]

The San Luis Obispo City Council wants the leases at Diablo Canyon Power Plant extended to ensure the facility’s units 1 and 2 remain operational until 2024-25, so city officials can better gauge impact of the planned shutdown. Operator Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) announced last week that it would let the units’ Nuclear Regulatory Commission […]

Power provider Entergy made a major stride toward building a second independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station on June 17, after winning a certificate of public good from the Vermont Public Service Board (PSB). The board’s approval allows a 10-day window for stakeholders to file an appeal. Entergy […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Thursday denied two appeals from the state of Vermont, where officials have argued the federal agency wrongly approved emergency planning zone exemptions at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station without allowing state input. The NRC in December granted plant owner Entergy a license amendment and subsequent emergency planning exemptions, allowing Vermont […]

Diablo Canyon Power Plant Units 1 and 2 will shut down in 2024-25, when their operating licenses expire, operator Pacific Gas & Electric Co. announced Tuesday as the company shifts toward “greenhouse-gas-free resources.” Located about 12 miles southwest of San Luis Obispo, the Diablo Canyon nuclear units represent the last operating reactors in California. The […]

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) on Wednesday issued a decommissioning license to Hydro-Québec for its Gentilly-2 nuclear reactor, which operated in Quebec from 1983 to 2012. The license, which allows Hydro-Québec to begin the estimated CAN $1.8 billion decommissioning project, is valid from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2026. According to an announcement Wednesday, CNSC […]

Diablo Canyon Power Plant Units 1 and 2 will shut down in 2024-25, when their operating licenses expire, operator Pacific Gas & Electric Co. announced Tuesday as the company shifts toward “greenhouse-gas-free resources.” Located about 12 miles southwest of San Luis Obispo, the Diablo Canyon nuclear units represent the last operating reactors in California. The company said […]

Power provider Entergy made a major stride toward building a second independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station on Friday, after winning a certificate of public good from the Vermont Public Service Board (PSB). The board’s approval allows a 10-day window for stakeholders to file an appeal. Entergy plans […]