Decommissioning

Holtec International has already added up to three years to its schedule for decommissioning the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts, which could increase certain costs for the project by $102 million, according to the commonwealth Attorney General’s Office. The figures are based on a presentation Holtec gave last month to a local advisory panel […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has signed off on transferring the reactor and spent-fuel storage licenses for the Zion nuclear power plant in Illinois from decommissioning contractor EnergySolutions to site owner Exelon. The order from agency staff took effect on Nov. 26, according to a Dec. 6 notice in the Federal Register. It is good […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission intends to issue a follow-on contract for support in finalizing the emergency preparedness portion of its ongoing decommissioning rulemaking. ICF Incorporated LLC would receive a two-year noncompetitive award for “Completion of Emergency Preparedness Decommissioning Rulemaking and Guidance,” according to a Dec. 5 procurement notice from the NRC. Agency staff in […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Nov. 22 urged a federal appeals court to dismiss two requests from the commonwealth of Massachusetts to freeze the license transfer of the retired Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit does not yet have jurisdiction to rule on the matter, […]

The White House on Nov. 22 announced its intention to nominate David Wright to a full term on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Wright has served on the commission since May 2018. He assumed a seat vacated by Commissioner Jeff Baran, which expires on June 30, 2020. Baran, a commissioner since 2014, last year was […]

By John Stang A federal judge ruled Tuesday against an activist organization’s lawsuit seeking a halt to the transfer of spent reactor fuel into dry storage at the retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California. Following oral arguments on Nov. 25, Judge Janis Sammartino, of U.S. District Court for Southern California, ruled in favor of […]

By John Stang Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) expects full cleanup of its Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant to cost at least $5.1 billion, according to paperwork filed Wednesday with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. That breaks down to $3.16 billion for decommissioning the complex, $1.26 billion for spent fuel management, and about $738,000 for […]

A federal judge ruled Tuesday against an activist organization’s lawsuit seeking a halt to the transfer of spent reactor fuel into dry storage at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California, according to both sides in the litigation. Following oral arguments on Nov. 25, Judge Janis Sammartino, of U.S. District Court for Southern […]

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy on Tuesday said it had secured a contract for dismantlement, segmentation, and packing of the reactor internals and reactor pressure vessel for the retired Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. This is the Wilmington, N.C., company’s second contract for this work at a nuclear plant acquired by Holtec International for decommissioning. […]

At the end of the last federal fiscal year on Sept. 30, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission was overseeing decommissioning of 23 nuclear power and early demonstration reactors. Of those reactors, 11 were undergoing active decommissioning and the remaining 12 were in SAFSTOR, or safe storage, in which final cleanup can be delayed for up […]

Rick Perry ended his tenure as U.S. secretary of energy on Sunday, but not before issuing a press release highlighting the progress of cleanup at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) in Ventura County, Calif. “I am proud of the work the Department of Energy (DOE) has done to advance the final cleanup of the […]

The Nuclear Energy Institute is asking a federal appeals court to undo the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s determination that it has full authority to regulate disposal of very low-level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, even in states that have taken on much of the agency’s oversight of radioactive materials. At issue is Regulatory Issue […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Friday urged a federal appeals court to reject two requests from the commonwealth of Massachusetts to freeze the license transfer of the retired Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit does not yet have jurisdiction under federal law to rule on […]

Energy technology company Holtec International on Friday took a key step toward buying another soon-to-close nuclear power plant for decommissioning. The plant in this case is the Indian Point Energy Center in upstate New York, which is scheduled for permanent retirement by the end of April 2021. Holtec and facility owner Entergy on Friday submitted […]

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has set a March 3, 2020, primary followed by a May 12 special election to replace U.S. Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.), who resigned on Nov. 1 after being targeted for investigation by the House Ethics Committee. Hill, who represented the state’s 25th Congressional District that adjoins the Santa Susana Field […]

By John Stang Infrastructure and environmental services specialist North Wind Inc. expects to have a strategic plan ready by December 2020 on how to move used nuclear fuel off-site from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California. Idaho Falls, Idaho-based North Wind was contracted in June by SONGS majority owner Southern California Edison […]

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has set a March 3, 2020, primary followed by a May 12 special election to replace U.S. Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.), who resigned on Nov. 1 after being targeted for investigation by the House Ethics Committee. Hill, who represented the state’s 25th Congressional District that adjoins the Santa Susana Field […]

Two U.S. senators last week pressed the top appropriators in each chamber of Congress to ensure communities near retired nuclear power plants receive millions of dollars of economic assistance in the current federal budget year. “Strong funding is necessary to support public works investments and economic diversification initiatives in communities across the country,” Sens. Tammy […]

The United States must finally settle on a strategy for disposition of spent nuclear fuel if it hopes to revitalize its atomic energy sector, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said Wednesday, without offering a timeline for introduction of a bill intended to help achieve that goal. Barrasso discussed the matter in starting off a hearing of […]

AECOM, the international infrastructure company that is preparing its exit from contracting for the U.S. Energy Department, on Tuesday reported record annual revenue but a net loss for its fiscal 2019. Company-wide revenue of almost $20.2 billion was up 2% from $20.15 billion in fiscal 2018, according to AECOM’s latest earnings report. But the net […]

Nuclear services firm EnergySolutions said Tuesday it has completed physical decommissioning of the La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor (LACBWR) in Wisconsin. That covers full remediation and extraction of radioactive materials in line with the license termination plan approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, according to a press release from the Salt Lake City-based company. […]

Nuclear services firm EnergySolutions said Tuesday it has completed physical decommissioning of the La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor (LACBWR) in Wisconsin. That covers full remediation and extraction of radioactive materials in line with the license termination plan approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, according to a press release from the Salt Lake City-based company. […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday formally approved a reduction in the emergency preparedness requirements for the retired Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. The changes include elimination of a dedicated 10-mile emergency planning zone in the license for the Cape Cod property. The requirement for a specific off-site radiological emergency response plan will […]

A California Superior Court judge ruled last week against a request by a watchdog organization to suspend the transfer of used reactor fuel into dry storage at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). In a motion filed with the court in October, El Cajon-based Citizens’ Oversight sought the temporary halt and authorization for discovery […]

FirstEnergy Corp. on Monday reported $391 million in net income for the third quarter of 2019, after sustaining a $512 million loss in the same three months of 2018. That was good for $0.73 in earning per share, versus a $1.02 per-share loss a year ago, according to the Akron, Ohio, power company’s earnings release. […]

Two regulatory agencies in California stress the U.S. Department of Energy must receive state approval before it can legally tear down 18 buildings within Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory cleanup site in Ventura County. The Energy Department last month issued a record of decision formalizing its intention to demolish the remaining structures […]

U.S. Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.), who represents the congressional district that borders the Santa Susana Field Laboratory cleanup site, resigned from Congress on Sunday, only days after the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into whether she violated congressional rules. The panel announced plans Oct. 23 to investigate allegations that the first-term lawmaker engaged in […]

Two regulatory agencies in California stress the U.S. Department of Energy must receive state approval before it can legally tear down 18 buildings within Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory cleanup site in Ventura County. The Energy Department last month issued a record of decision formalizing its intention to demolish the remaining structures […]

U.S. Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.), who represents the congressional district that includes the Santa Susana Field Laboratory cleanup site, resigned from Congress Sunday days after the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into whether she violated congressional rules. The panel announced plans Oct. 23 to investigate allegations that Hill engaged in a sexual relationship with […]

A number of companies with broad experience in nuclear and environmental remediation operations sent representatives to a Sept. 16 site visit for the decommissioning procurement for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ retired SM-1 reactor at Fort Belvoir, Va. Among the participants were Westinghouse, AECOM, Bechtel, APTIM, Atkins, EnergySolutions, Jacobs, and BWX Technologies, according to […]