Decommissioning

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 […]

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 […]

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 a presentation given […]

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 Army Corps of Engineers. The Army Corps on Monday announced the release of the final environmental assessment, finding of no significant impact, and finding of no practicable alternative for the […]

The commonwealth of Pennsylvania has not proven its case to be allowed to intervene in the federal review of the license transfer application for reactor Unit 2 at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, according to the reactor’s owner and prospective buyer. Subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Corp. and EnergySolutions on Monday filed their response with […]

By John Stang The 2019 sale of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts drove a major revenue drop that put Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ income into the red for the first quarter of 2020, parent company Entergy Corp. said Monday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the 10-Q filing, the New […]

The ExchangeMonitor’s 2020 Decommissioning Strategy Forum is being pushed back from June to September and relocated to Henderson, Nev. The continuing COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to stick to the original schedule to hold the conference on June 8-9 in Nashville, according to the ExchangeMonitor’s parent company, Access Intelligence. “Please note that out of concern […]

The ExchangeMonitor’s 2020 Decommissioning Strategy Forum is being pushed back from June to September and relocated to Henderson, Nev. The continuing COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to stick to the original schedule to hold the conference on June 8-9 in Nashville, according to the ExchangeMonitor’s parent company, Access Intelligence. “Please note that out of concern […]

The commonwealth of Pennsylvania has not proven its case to be allowed to intervene in the federal review of the license transfer application for reactor Unit 2 at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, according to the reactor’s owner and prospective buyer. Subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Corp. and EnergySolutions on Monday filed their response with […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined there would be no significant environmental impact from a 40-year license renewal for the spent fuel storage pad at the retired Humboldt Bay nuclear power plant in California. Owner Pacific Gas & Electric “is proposing no changes in how it handles or stores spent fuel at the Humboldt Bay […]

The 2019 closure of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts drove a major revenue drop that put Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ income into the red for the first quarter of 2020, parent company Entergy Corp. said Monday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the 10-Q filing, the New Orleans-based power company […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering an initial request for regulatory relief from a spent fuel storage licensee during the COVID-19 pandemic. GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy on April 30 asked the NRC for a 60-day extension to submit a license renewal application for its independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) in Morris, Ill. The application […]

AECOM aims to soon divest its stake in the decommissioning contractor for the retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California, an executive said Tuesday. “We are … continuing to progress on our plan to exit our remaining self-perform at-risk construction businesses,” Chief Financial Officer Troy Rudd said during AECOM’s conference call on its […]

AECOM aims to soon divest its stake in the decommissioning contractor for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California, Chief Financial Officer Troy Rudd said Tuesday. “We are … continuing to progress on our plan to exit our remaining self-perform at-risk construction businesses,” Rudd said during AECOM’s conference call on its latest quarterly […]

By John Stang Entergy on Thursday retired reactor Unit 2 at the Indian Point Energy Center in upstate New York, leaving just one of the site’s three reactors online. Unit 3 is scheduled to close on April 30, 2021. “Over the last 45 years, thousands of dedicated professionals have operated Unit 2 at Indian Point […]

Pennsylvania’s top environmental official on Monday expressed continued concerns about the adequacy of funding to complete decommissioning of the partially melted-down reactor Unit 2 at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell submitted a follow-up to an early April letter to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as it […]

Pennsylvania’s top environmental official on Monday expressed continued concerns about the adequacy of funding to complete decommissioning of the partially melted-down reactor Unit 2 at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell submitted a new letter to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as it considers transferring the […]

The Department of Energy’s top nuclear energy official on Monday expressed regret over the imminent closure of one reactor at the Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York state. “It pains me to see Indian Point Unit 2 prematurely shutting down this Thursday,” Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Rita Baranwal wrote on Twitter. “The […]

By John Stang The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday it intends by the end of 2020 to finish its evaluation of the application to transfer the licenses for the Indian Point Energy Center in New York state from owner Entergy to prospective buyer Holtec International. “Our review could be completed later this year,” according to […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday outlined the latest opportunity for regulatory exemptions for licensees during the COVID-19 pandemic, this one for on-the-job training for security personnel. Expedited reviews of exemption requests are being offered for several subsections in the NRC regulations on licensee security personnel, according to an NRC letter Monday to three nuclear […]

By John Stang Limited liability companies and the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on long-term scheduling dominated discussion in a Nuclear Regulatory Commission webinar Tuesday on nearly completed recommendations for financial assurances for decommissioning of commercial nuclear power plants. The session was intended to receive input from the public on April 6 draft final recommendations from a […]

A natural gas pipeline does not pose a significant danger to the nearby Indian Point Energy Center in upstate New York, according to a team of experts formed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The group’s report was filed with the industry regulator on April 8 and made public Wednesday. “The team determined that, even though […]

A natural gas pipeline does not pose a significant danger to the nearby Indian Point Energy Center in upstate New York, according to a team of experts formed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The report, from agency personnel and outside specialists, was filed with the industry regulator on April 8 and made public Wednesday. “The […]

Southern California Edison is unsure how the COVID-19 pandemic will impact the cost and schedule for decommissioning of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The utility has paused tackling the actual tearing down of buildings and removing heavy equipment from the retired nuclear power plant in San Diego County. However, Edison is continuing with […]

Pennsylvania’s top environmental official this week expressed deep reservations about plans for the expedited decommissioning of reactor Unit 2 at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. The reactor famously operated for only a few months before partially melting down in March 1979. It never resumed power production. “The TMI Unit 2 nuclear accident resulted […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has canceled an upcoming public meeting on decommissioning of the SM-1A reactor at Fort Greely, Alaska, and is eyeing other possible impacts to the project from the COVID-19 pandemic. “The team made this decision based on the interest of public health and in accordance with recent Department of Defense, […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is giving the public additional time to comment on a proposed regulatory update that would ease the path for disposal of very low-level radioactive waste (VLLW) in commercial landfills. The deadline has been pushed back from April 20 to July 20, agency spokesman David McIntyre said by email this week. Very […]

Pennsylvania’s top environmental official on Monday expressed deep reservations about plans for the expedited decommissioning of reactor Unit 2 at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. The reactor famously operated for only a few months before partially melting down in March 1979. It never resumed service. Nuclear services firm EnergySolutions plans to buy the […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has canceled an upcoming public meeting on decommissioning of the SM-1A reactor at Fort Greely, Alaska, and is eyeing other possible impacts to the project from the COVID-19 pandemic. “The team made this decision based on the interest of public health and in accordance with recent Department of Defense, […]

By John Stang Holtec International has sued the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) in an effort to force the state agency to resume providing $260 million in tax credits promised in 2014. The Camden, N.J., energy technology company on Tuesday announced the lawsuit, filed March 20 in the Superior Court of New Jersey. “In […]