Commercial Decommissioning

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposed yesterday a $17,500 civil penalty against Dominion Energy’s Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant for a security-related violation. According to the NRC, the violation stemmed from routine agency security inspections that occurred between Jane and December of last year. Details about security-related violations were not made public, but the plant has already […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s decommissioning rulemaking most likely will not be completed until 2020, according to the NRC Staff’s Jan. 30 SECY-paper, released yesterday. In the NRC’s Staff Related Memorandum that initiated the rulemaking, the Commission directed Staff to try to complete the rulemaking by 2019, but according to the Staff, that would be an […]

Westinghouse and HOCHTIEF Infrastructure GmbH, a German-based engineering company, announced late last week that they had entered into Teaming Agreement to offer integrated decommissioning, decontamination and remediation services for nuclear power plants in Germany. Following the Fukushima disaster in Japan, Germany decided to shut down all of its nuclear plants in an effort to avoid […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 3/6/2015 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week approved the emergency planning exemption requests for both the San Onofre Generating Station (SONGS) and Vermont Yankee Station. The NRC Staff had previously recommended both reactors receive the requested exemptions due to the decreased risk of an emergency at a defueled and shutdown reactor. […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 3/6/2015 A federal court late last week awarded the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) an additional $22.5 million in its spent nuclear fuel case against the Department of Energy. These damages come in addition to the $53.1 million the Federal Court of Claims awarded SMUD back in June for costs […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission yesterday approved the emergency planning exemption requests for both the San Onofre Generating Station (SONGS) and Vermont Yankee Station. The NRC Staff had previously recommended both reactors receive the requested exemptions due to the decreased risk of an emergency at a defueled and shutdown reactor. “The Commission continues to support the current practice […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission Staff issued a finding of no significant impact for the proposed emergency planning exemptions at the Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant, according to a posting in the Federal Register yesterday. Duke Florida, the site operator, is seeking the exemptions as a way to reduce requirements at the site while […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 2/27/2015 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has opened an Atomic Licensing and Safety Board adjudication for Vermont Yankee’s license amendment request to reduce emergency preparedness requirements, according to a notice posted in the Federal Register this week. The state of Vermont had requested a hearing in the adjudication process earlier this […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 2/27/2015 Southern California Edison is seeking an amendment from the California Coastal Commission to expand its used nuclear fuel dry cask storage area at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), the company announced this week. SONGS’ current Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation currently holds 51 canisters. The company anticipates […]

Southern California Edison is seeking an amendment from the California Coastal Commission to expand its used nuclear fuel dry cask storage area at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), the company announced yesterday. The company anticipates adding an additional 80 canisters by 2019 to its dry storage area as part of its spent fuel […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 2/13/2015 Vermont state officials discovered Strontium-90 in samples of groundwater collected in August 2014 from monitoring wells within the boundaries of Vermont Yankee, the Vermont Department of Health announced this week. The discovery marks the second radioactive isotope detected in groundwater in the boundaries of Vermont Yankee following the discovery […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 1/30/2015 EnergySolutions introduced a new decommissioning team earlier this month aimed at leveraging its D&D experience to attract work in the growing decommissioning market, Logistics, Processing and Disposal President  Ken Robuck told RW Monitor this week. The decommissioning market for commercial plants could begin to boom in the coming decades. […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 1/16/2015 EnergySolutions is closing in on another decommissioning “license stewardship” agreement with the La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor in Genoa, Wis., the company announced this week. Under the proposed agreement, EnergySolutions would temporarily take over responsibility for the license and decommissioning responsibility from the Dairyland Power Cooperative, the owner of […]

NRC Division Director Larry Camper Offers Perspective on Rulemaking Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 1/16/2015 Following the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s direction for staff to complete a decommissioning rulemaking, NRC Division Director Larry Camper suggested this week that the 2019 completion date would be a challenge to meet. In remarks at the Institute for Nuclear Materials […]

EnergySolutions is closing in on another decommissioning “licensed stewardship” agreement with the La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor in Genoa, Wis., the company announced yesterday. Under the proposed agreement, EnergySolutions would temporarily take over responsibility for the license and decommissioning responsibility from the Dairyland Power Cooperative, the owner of the site. The arrangement would be similar […]

ZionSolutions announced yesterday the successful completion of its campaign to move the spent nuclear fuel at the Zion Power Station to dry cask storage. The EnergySolutions subsidiary loaded 61 dry cask storage containers in less than 52 weeks, ahead of the estimated timeline, the company said. “We are extremely proud of our employees for the […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 1/9/2015 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission directed its Staff last week to begin a rulemaking to better address the NRC’s role in regulating decommissioning power plants, with an end date tentatively set for 2019. Currently, the NRC does not have regulations that reflect the decreased security and safety threat posed by […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 1/9/2015 Bechtel and Westinghouse Electric Company have entered into a multi-year partnership agreement to provide decontamination and decommissioning services for commercial nuclear power plants. The partnership will cover a range of services, including pre-shutdown planning, licensing, project development and management, dismantling, demolition, waste handling, and site closeout—with a central focus […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 1/9/2014 The Vermont Yankee Power Station in Vernon, Vt. officially ceased operations last week, ending the reactor’s 42-year operation life. Entergy, the plant operator, announced last year that it would be entering premature shutdown of the Vermont Yankee station at the end of 2014, despite receiving a 20-year license extension […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission yesterday opened the public comment period for Vermont Yankee’s Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report, submitted last month, while scheduling a public meeting in Vermont on the plan for next month. Comments can be submitted to the NRC until March 23, and the public meeting will take place on Feb. 19 in Brattleboro, […]

Bechtel and Westinghouse Electric Company have entered into a multi-year partnership agreement to provide decontamination and decommissioning services for commercial nuclear power plants, the two companies announced yesterday. The partnership will cover a range of services, including: pre-shutdown planning, licensing, project development and management, dismantling, demolition, waste handling, and site closeout—with a central focus on […]

The Vermont Yankee Power Station in Vernon, Vt. officially ceased operations last week ending the reactor’s 42 year operation life. Entergy, the plant operator, announced last year that it would be entering premature shutdown of the Vermont Yankee station at the end of 2014, despite receiving a 20 year license extension from the Nuclear Regulatory […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission directed its Staff last week to begin a rulemaking to better address the NRC’s role in regulating decommissioning power plants, with an end date tentatively set for 2019, according to the Commission’s Staff Related Memorandum. Currently, the NRC does not have regulations that reflect the decreased security and safety threat a […]

Entergy submitted last week the Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report for Vermont Yankee, with minimal changes to the plan outlined in its site assessment report the company issued earlier this year. The PSDAR estimated the cost of the cleanup at $1.24 billion, with costs associated with terminating the NRC operating license at $817 million, spent fuel […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 12/19/2014 The City of Laguna Beach, located near the San Onofre Nuclear generating Station (SONGS), passed a resolution this week that called on the Department of Energy to move forward ‘expeditiously’ with the removal of spent fuel. The Laguna Beach resolution calls on DOE to remove the fuel as quickly […]

The following interview with Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair Allison Macfarlane was conducted by RadWaste Monitor reporter Jeremy L. Dillon this week at NRC headquarters in Rockville, Md. Macfarlane plans to leave her position on the Commission at the end of this year. RW Monitor 12/19/2014                     […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 12/12/2014 Southern California Edison has chosen Holtec International to provide its dry cask storage system at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, the company announced this week. Holtec’s HI-STORM UMAX underground storage system features corrosion-resistant, stainless-steel fuel canisters that can operate for both storage and transport, the company said. “After […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 12/12/2014 Entergy plans to establish a $145 million credit line for the initial phase of spent fuel management at the Vermont Yankee Power Station as the reactor prepares to enter decommissioning, Entergy spokesman Marty Cohn confirmed this week. The plan would avoid taking money from the decommissioning trust fund to […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 12/12/2014 Exelon’s Ginna Nuclear Power Plant in Ontario, New York may avoid shutdown after the New York Public Service Commission unanimously voted last month to establish a route for a support services agreement with Rochester Gas & Electric. Exelon had threatened to shut down the reactor if an agreement could […]

RW Monitor 12/5/2014 IN THE NRC The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on its draft Interim Staff Guidance document for the review of security exemptions at decommissioning plants, according to a notice in the Federal Register this week. If approved, the guidance would help establish a consistent review process for exemption requests from […]