Decommissioning

California lawmakers this week passed an eleventh-hour bill that, if signed into law, would help keep the Golden State’s last operating nuclear power plant running into the next decade. The state Senate passed the proposed measure 31-1 late on Wednesday night, the final scheduled day of the legislative session. The bill would give the California […]

The procurement office for the Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch kicked off its market research this week for small businesses interested in providing technical services to the agency. In addition to the request for information (RFI) for Consolidated Technical Support Services, now provided by incumbent BTP Services, the Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center also […]

California lawmakers on Wednesday passed an eleventh-hour bill that, if signed into law, would help keep the Golden State’s last operating nuclear power plant running into the next decade. The state Senate passed the proposed measure 31-1 late on Wednesday night, the final scheduled day of the legislative session. The bill would give the California […]

As the California legislature weighs a billion-dollar bailout to keep the state’s last operating nuclear power plant running through the next decade, opponents of the proposal are sounding the alarm about the safety and transparency of such action. Representatives from anti-nuclear groups such as Beyond Nuclear, San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace and the Coalition […]

California state lawmakers introduced a bill over the weekend that, if made law, would toss a billion-dollar lifeline to the state’s last operating nuclear power plant. The proposed legislation, unveiled Sunday only days before the scheduled end of the state’s legislative session, would nullify a 2018 order from the California Public Utilities Commission approving shutdown […]

California’s state Senate was scheduled Thursday to discuss a proposed billion-dollar bailout for the Golden State’s last operating nuclear power plant, according to a meeting notice. During the hearing, the state Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee was to discuss the proposed bailout, which would allow Sacramento to loan up to $1.4 billion to Pacific […]

An inspection at a former Massachusetts nuclear power plant under decommissioning by Holtec International revealed just one small issue related to radiation safety procedures, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission told the company in a recent letter. Holtec staff working at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station “failed to survey the levels of airborne radioactivity” inside the plant’s drywell, […]

With less than a month left for nuclear plant operators to apply for the Department of Energy’s civil nuclear credits program, the agency is leaving open the possibility that it will need extra time to review submissions, a spokesperson said this week. Although DOE said in April that it would notify awardees around 30 days […]

The House of Representatives on Friday passed a sweeping spending package that would, if enacted, give economically-troubled nuclear power plants another financial boost in addition to the Department of Energy’s ongoing bailout program. Among the provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, which the House passed Friday evening on a 220-207 party line vote, the bill […]

With less than a month left for nuclear plant operators to apply for the Department of Energy’s civil nuclear credits program, the agency is leaving open the possibility that it will need extra time to review submissions, a spokesperson said Monday. Although DOE had said in April that it would notify awardees around 30 days […]

The nuclear energy industry accounted for just nearly a tenth of all power grid retirements in the first half of this year, the government’s independent energy reported this week. The decline stems from one plant closure: Michigan’s Palisades Nuclear Generating Station, which shuttered for good May 20 and removed roughly 769 megawatts (MW) of electricity […]

A bevy of safety violations at a New Jersey nuclear power plant under decommissioning have been resolved, the company dismantling the site told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a recent letter. Since NRC on Jan. 26 slapped Holtec International with around $50,000 in fines for several security violations at Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, Holtec […]

The state of Michigan is still working to find a potential buyer who will save Palisades Nuclear Generating Station, a spokesperson for the state governor said this week. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) office continues to work with “potential buyers, operators, and stakeholders to keep this vital energy source and the 600 good-paying jobs right here […]

Keeping California’s last operating nuclear power plant running past its planned shutdown date would be a tall order for the utility company in charge of the facility, its CEO told investors during a conference call last week. Amid pressure from the nuclear industry, activists and state Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) […]

The nuclear energy industry accounted for just nearly a tenth of all power grid retirements in the first half of this year, the government’s independent energy reported Wednesday. The decline stems from one plant closure: Michigan’s Palisades Nuclear Generating Station, which shuttered for good May 20 and removed roughly 769 megawatts (MW) of electricity from […]

Keeping California’s last operating nuclear power plant running past its planned shutdown date would be a tall order for the utility company in charge of the facility, its CEO told investors during a conference call last week. Amid pressure from the nuclear industry, activists and state Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) […]

The utility company in charge of decommissioning a California nuclear power plant is preparing to ship some heavy reactor parts out of state to a low-level disposal facility, according to a recent press release. The reactor pressure vessel head of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station’s (SONGS) Unit 2 reactor “will be leaving the site soon,” […]

The utility company in charge of decommissioning a California nuclear power plant is preparing to ship some heavy reactor parts out of state to a low-level disposal facility, according to a recent press release. The reactor pressure vessel head of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station’s (SONGS) Unit 2 reactor “will be leaving the site soon,” […]

Like the U.S. Department of Energy, the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is in the market for local communities open to hosting an underground disposal facility for radioactive waste. “Our mission goes beyond existing sites,” David Peattie, CEO of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) said in a recent annual report for 2021-2022. The NDA is […]

The utility company in charge of California’s last operating nuclear power plant last week made an about-face on its plans to close and decommission the facility as scheduled telling local media that it would seek a Department of Energy bailout. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) “expect[s] to submit an application” to DOE in hopes of […]

United States consumption of electricity produced by nuclear power plants last year hit its lowest point in nearly a decade, the government’s independent energy auditor said last week. According to a report published Friday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA),  electricity consumption in 2021 from nuclear power decreased to around 8.12 quadrillion British Thermal […]

Two of the newest additions to Holtec International’s inventory of former nuclear power plant sites could be good candidates for a future advanced reactor facility, the company said last week. Among the viable proposals for repurposing Michigan’s Palisades and Big Rock Point plants is a plan to build SMR-160 small modular reactors (SMRs) at both […]

The Environmental Protection Agency does not share Holtec International’s position that the company’s plan to release irradiated wastewater from a shuttered Massachusetts nuclear power plant into a nearby bay meets federal regulations, the agency’s water chief told the company in a recent letter. EPA “does not agree” with Holtec’s claim that discharging wastewater from Pilgrim […]

The Environmental Protection Agency does not share Holtec International’s position that the company’s plan to release irradiated wastewater from a shuttered Massachusetts nuclear power plant into a nearby bay meets federal regulations, the agency’s water chief told the company in a recent letter. EPA “does not agree” with Holtec’s claim that discharging wastewater from Pilgrim […]

United States consumption of electricity produced by nuclear power plants last year hit its lowest point in nearly a decade, the government’s independent energy auditor said last week. According to a report published Friday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA),  electricity consumption in 2021 from nuclear power decreased to around 8.12 quadrillion British Thermal […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week freshened its records to reflect EnergySolutions as the new owner of a Wisconsin nuclear power plant after the company earlier this week finalized its purchase of the site, agency documents show. Kewaunee Power Station’s operating license now shows EnergySolutions as the plant’s owner, NRC told the company in a […]

Almost a month after it shut down a Michigan nuclear power plant for good, Entergy has finalized the facility’s sale to the decommissioning company that will dismantle it, according to a press release this week. Completing the sale of Palisades Nuclear Generating Station to Holtec International “​​completes Entergy’s planned exit from the nuclear merchant power […]

The Department of Energy this week gave nuclear plant operators, such as the one in charge of California’s last operating nuclear power plant, the rest of the summer to apply for a federal bailout. Sep. 6 is now the deadline for interested plant operators to submit their bids on the first chunk of DOE’s roughly […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission Wednesday freshened its records to reflect EnergySolutions as the new owner of a Wisconsin nuclear power plant after the company earlier this week finalized its purchase of the site, agency documents show. Kewaunee Power Station’s operating license now shows EnergySolutions as the plant’s owner, NRC told the company in a letter […]

Almost a month after it shut down a Michigan nuclear power plant for good, Entergy has finalized the facility’s sale to the decommissioning company that will dismantle it, according to a Wednesday press release. Completing the sale of Palisades Nuclear Generating Station to Holtec International “​​completes Entergy’s planned exit from the nuclear merchant power business,” […]