Decommissioning

By John Stang With a combination of reluctance and unanimity, the California Coastal Commission voted 10-0 Thursday to approve an inspection-and-maintenance plan for on-site storage of spent reactor fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The plan is a requirement of the coastal development permit the commission issued in 2015 to SONGS majority […]

By John Stang The upcoming decommissioning of the Crystal River nuclear power plant needs more government oversight, some type of independent monitor, and better guarantees against cost overruns, a Florida government watchdog agency told the state Public Service Commission last week. “We ask you to order some modest changes” in the decommissioning contract, Charles Rehwinkel, an […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Thursday said it would extend the comment period to Nov. 3 on the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for a planned spent nuclear fuel storage facility in West Texas. The 60-day extension is intended to give stakeholders sufficient time to provide input during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The NRC staff intends […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is again considering updating rule language on financial assurance for decommissioning of nuclear power plants and other facilities to strip out any reference to credit ratings. The update is required under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, according to a June 26 memo from NRC Executive Director […]

The upcoming decommissioning of the Crystal River nuclear power plant needs more government oversight, some type of independent monitor, and better guarantees against cost overruns, a Florida government watchdog agency told the state Public Service Commission last week. “We ask you to order some modest changes” in the decommissioning contract, Charles Rehwinkel, an attorney for the […]

The commonwealth of Massachusetts’ court challenge to the transfer of the federal license for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is being dismissed with prejudice, which would prevent it from being refiled. The parties to the petition for review filed the dismissal agreement on June 30 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of […]

Community advisory boards for nuclear power plants in decommissioning would benefit from being formed early in the process and with a clear framework for their function, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in a report made public Thursday. The benefits of giving the plant operators a place on the panels, though, was debated as the agency […]

Community advisory boards for nuclear power plants in decommissioning benefit from being formed early in the process and with a clear framework for their operation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in a report made public Thursday. The agency was required to prepare the report, on best practices for establishment and operation of the local panels, […]

The commonwealth of Massachusetts’ court challenge to the transfer of the federal license for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is being dismissed with prejudice, which would prevent it from being refiled. The parties to the petition for review filed the dismissal agreement on June 30 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of […]

NorthStar Group Services has requested approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for disposal in Idaho of 2 million gallons of wastewater from decommissioning at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The agency on June 23 informed a subsidiary of the New York City-based environmental solutions provider, NorthStar Nuclear Decommissioning Co., that it had accepted the […]

The Energy Department Office of Environmental Management on Wednesday announced a set of nine contracts to provide nationwide deactivation, decommissioning, and removal (DD&R) services for excess facilities. The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts have a 10-year ordering period and collectively have a maximum value of $3 billion, the Energy Department said in a press release. Winners of the […]

NorthStar Group Services has requested approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for disposal in Idaho of 2 million gallons of wastewater from decommissioning at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The agency on June 23 informed a subsidiary of the New York City-based environmental solutions provider, NorthStar Nuclear Decommissioning Co., that it had accepted the […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is allowing Holtec International to delay conducting a mandatory force-on-force security exercise at the retired Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal regulator issued the exemption on June 18. The document was posted Friday to the agency’s website. Nuclear licensees for months have received expedited NRC […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Friday locked in its fee collection levels for the current federal fiscal year. The agency collects 90% of its annual budget through annual and service fees, with the rest appropriated by Congress. Lawmakers set the NRC’s budget at $855.6 million for fiscal 2021, which ends on Sept. 30, according to […]

Tearing down 10 contaminated Department of Energy buildings must precede further cleanup at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Ventura County, California state officials said during an online meeting June 11. Representatives of the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) and the state Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) expect final state approval next month of […]

By John Stang Holtec International and Massachusetts signed an agreement Tuesday under which the commonwealth will drop its objections to the already-completed federal license transfer and sale of the retired Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. The deal calls for the New Jersey energy technology company to provide additional financial assurances for complete decommissioning of the single-reactor […]

AECOM said Monday that Chief Financial Officer W. Troy Rudd would be elevated to CEO effective Oct. 1. Rudd will succeed Michael Burke, who is retiring after six years as chief executive. Lara Poloni will also move up to president from chief executive of AECOM’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) business, according to a […]

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is scheduled to vote July 1 whether to approve the reduction in a charge for disposal of radioactive waste at a state-owned facility operated by Waste Control Specialists. The rulemaking would amend the Texas Administrative Code’s section on low-level radioactive waste disposal fees, specifically reducing the curie inventory charge […]

Tearing down 10 contaminated Department of Energy buildings must precede further cleanup at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Ventura County , California state officials said during an online meeting Thursday. Representatives of the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) and the state Department of Toxic Substances Control expect final approval next month of the DOE […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on Tuesday began collecting data from potential vendors for the upcoming decommissioning of the retired SM-1A reactor at Fort Greely, Alaska. The Army Corps emphasized that it is not yet taking bids, but is only seeking capability statements from companies that might perform the work. The eventual contract […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on Tuesday began collecting data from potential vendors for the upcoming decommissioning of the SM-1A reactor at Fort Greely, Alaska. The Army Corps emphasized that it is not yet taking bids, but is only seeking capability statements from companies that might perform the work. The eventual contract is […]

Many employees of the facilities overseen by the Department of Energy’s Portsmouth-Paducah Project Office (PPPO) are receiving notices this week to report back to their worksites after months away due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first wave of homebound federal and contract personnel on June 15 will begin reporting back to the three locations overseen […]

The United Steelworkers union is sharply opposing a proposal to ease Nuclear Regulatory Commission rules for disposal of “very low-level” (VLLW) radioactive waste in landfills. “The United Steelworkers asks the NRC to withhold issuing this proposed rule and strongly urge you to reconsider. The minimal monetary costs this rule may reduce is not worth the […]

Another canister of spent fuel was being transferred to dry storage Thursday evening at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), even as an executive affirmed majority owner Southern California Edison’s (SCE) hopes to find an off-site home for the radioactive waste. “We have engaged a strategic team to put together a plan that we […]

By John Stang Representatives of U.S. regional low-level radioactive waste compacts on Wednesday continued to discuss contingency plans for a financially ailing disposal facility in Texas. No conclusions came out of the teleconference, which was a follow-up to a similar session earlier this month on the state-owned, privately run Texas Compact Waste Facility (CWF). It […]

The Energy Department has reached a deal with the state of California to tear down and remove 10 contaminated buildings at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) in Ventura County. Eliminating decaying buildings within the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility Complex should avoid a release of hazardous substances and minimize risk to the public in the […]

There is no reasonable alternative to the full decommissioning and disassembly of the retired SM-1 nuclear power reactor at Fort Belvoir, Va., according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The Army Corps on Monday announced the release of the final environmental assessment, finding of no significant impact, and finding of no practicable alternative […]

FirstEnergy Corp. on Tuesday announced a long list of changes in its executive suite, starting with President and CEO Chuck Jones peeling off one of his titles. The Board of Directors for the Akron, Ohio-based power company on Tuesday approved executive Steven Strah’s appointment as president, with Jones remaining in the top spot at CEO […]

By John Stang The Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) in Nebraska on May 13 completed moving all spent fuel at the retired Fort Calhoun Station nuclear power plant into dry storage. Workers began moving the first of 30 canisters on Oct. 14, 2019. Overall, the 30 canisters hold 944 bundles of used fuel, according to […]

By John Stang No U.S. facilities licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have to date experienced safety hazards arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said Monday in a report to Vice President Mike Pence. NRC Chairman Kristine Svinicki submitted a two-page summary of measures taken by the regulator during the public health emergency to […]