Decommissioning

The Department of Energy has delayed the release of its draft record of decision (ROD) for a planned 2.2-million-cubic yard landfill for the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee until the end of the month. The document had previously been anticipated today. The Energy Department postponed issuance after consulting with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and […]

NorthStar Group Services has requested approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to switch the means of transport to disposal of 200,000 gallons of contaminated wastewater from the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The company plans to move the wastewater primarily by rail to a disposal site in Idaho, rather than by truck as previously […]

Entergy on Wednesday said it took a revenue hit from the closure of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts during the second quarter of 2019. Even so, the New Orleans-based power company’s Entergy Wholesale Commodities (EWC) business slimmed its losses in the latest earning period. Entergy Wholesale Commodities reported a $26 million loss, or […]

Legislation introduced Wednesday in the U.S. Senate would authorize $200 million in annual spending by the Department of Energy for nuclear fuel cycle research and development focused on storage and disposal of the nation’s radioactive waste. The Nuclear Energy Renewal Act of 2019, from Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), primarily includes measures […]

Entergy on Wednesday said it took a revenue hit from the closure of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts during the second quarter of 2019. Even so, the New Orleans-based power company’s Entergy Wholesale Commodities (EWC) business slimmed its losses in the latest earning period. Entergy Wholesale Commodities reported a $26 million loss, or […]

Holtec International has issued its first major contract for decommissioning of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey. The contract went, as anticipated, to Comprehensive Decommissioning International, a joint venture of Holtec and Canadian engineering firm SNC-Lavalin formed specifically for cleanup of retired nuclear power plants. The contract is worth hundreds of millions […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on July 22 issued a regulatory exemption allowing Entergy Nuclear Operations to use money in the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station’s decommissioning trust fund for spent fuel management and site restorations activities. Entergy requested the exemption in November 2018 for the Massachusetts facility. On July 1, the NRC staff issued an environmental […]

NorthStar Group Services has requested approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to switch the means of transport to disposal of 200,000 gallons of contaminated wastewater from the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The company plans to move the wastewater primarily by rail to a disposal site in Idaho, rather by truck as previously OK’d […]

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler is expected to rule in August on a dispute over waste discharge standards at the Energy Department’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee. Mary Walker, administrator for EPA Region 4, said in March the new on-site waste landfill planned at Oak Ridge lacks adequate protections against discharges of contaminated wastewater […]

City officials from Oak Ridge, Tenn., want to meet with Energy Department representatives before the federal agency issues a draft record of decision in August for a new 2.2-million-cubic yard landfill planned for the Oak Ridge Site. City Manager Mark Watson made the request in a July 12 letter to Jay Mullis, manager of DOE’s […]

Jacobs subsidiary CH2M appears prepared to resume the higher-risk work involved in demolition of the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) at the Hanford Site in Washington state, according to an Energy Department report. “Overall, changes and improvements necessary for safely resuming higher risk demolition work have been effectively established and implemented,” the department’s Office of Enterprise […]

The California Coastal Commission is expected in September to decide whether to issue a permit that is necessary for major decommissioning to begin on two retired reactors at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The commission had been scheduled in June to take up Southern California Edison’s application for a coastal development permit, but […]

Jacobs subsidiary CH2M appears prepared to resume the higher-risk work involved in demolition of the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) at the Hanford Site in Washington state, according to an Energy Department report. “Overall, changes and improvements necessary for safely resuming higher risk demolition work have been effectively established and implemented,” the department’s Office of Enterprise […]

The California Coastal Commission is expected in September to decide whether to issue a permit that is necessary for major decommissioning to begin on two retired reactors at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The commission had been scheduled in June to take up Southern California Edison’s application for a coastal development permit, but […]

Nuclear services firm EnergySolutions on Tuesday announced its first foray into the burgeoning business for acquiring retired nuclear power plants for decommissioning. The Salt Lake City-based company said it had inked a term sheet with a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. for the asset transfer of reactor Unit 2 at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating […]

A bill to reauthorize the Department of Energy’s West Valley Demonstration Project Act was reported out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on a voice vote Tuesday. The measure was passed in a bloc of 20 bills considered at once by the panel, including committee Chair Lisa Murkowski’s (R-Alaska) Nuclear Energy Leadership Act. […]

AECOM on Monday named a senior executive with the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to lead the international arm of the company’s Management Services nuclear and strategic environment branch. David Batters will join AECOM on Sept. 1 as senior vice president and international sector lead for the Management Services nuclear and environment unit. The […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission plans a July 23 public meeting in Harrisburg, Pa., to discuss the shutdown plan for the Three Mile Island Unit 1 nuclear power reactor. The meeting is intended to specifically address the post-shutdown decommissioning activities report (PSDAR) for the Dauphin County facility, with an opportunity for public feedback. It follows […]

A bill to reauthorize the Department of Energy’s West Valley Demonstration Project Act was reported out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on a voice vote Tuesday. The measure was passed in a bloc of 20 bills considered at once by the panel, including committee Chair Lisa Murkowski’s (R-Alaska) Nuclear Energy Leadership Act. […]

The United Kingdom’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority said Tuesday it had issued a three-year extension for a partnership encompassing 17 companies performing cleanup activities at the Sellafield nuclear site. The Decommissioning Delivery Partnership, formed in 2016, will now remain on the job at least through 2026, according to an NDA press release. The partnership to date […]

AECOM on Monday named a senior executive with the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to lead the international arm of the company’s Management Services nuclear and strategic environment branch. David Batters will join AECOM on Sept. 1 as senior vice president and international sector lead for the Management Services nuclear and environment unit. The […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a July 23 meeting in Harrisburg, Pa., to discuss Exelon’s approach for decommissioning the Three Mile Island Unit 1 nuclear power reactor. The Chicago-based power company is scheduled by Sept. 30 to retire the pressurized-water reactor near the state capital. In a post-shutdown decommissioning activities report (PSDAR) submitted […]

A bill to reauthorize the Energy Department’s continued nuclear cleanup at the West Valley Demonstration Project in New York state drew scant attention Tuesday during a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources energy subcommittee. The measure was one of 11 bills for consideration and testimony at the one-hour morning legislative hearing. Subcommittee Chairman […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) expects around July 29 to issue the request for proposals for decommissioning of the SM-1 nuclear reactor at Fort Belvoir, Va. The contract will feature both firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-incentives components, according to a presolicitation notice issued Monday. It will have a five-year term. The Army Corps is scheduled […]

Diverting some money within the decommissioning trust fund for the retired Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts would not undermine the intended function of the account, according to staff at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Agency staff on July 1 issued an environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for Entergy’s application for […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Institute said this week that Southern California Edison (SCE) has taken significant steps to address the failures that led to a mishap last year in the transfer of used fuel at its San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). However, the agency said a follow-up inspection identified five additional minor violations of […]

The head of the government-owned company that manages the United Kingdom’s Sellafield nuclear site is scheduled to step down in January 2020. Paul Foster has served as chief executive officer at Sellafield Ltd. since 2016, and has been at the site since 2000, according to an announcement Thursday. Sellafield Ltd. manages nuclear fuel reprocessing and […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this week that Southern California Edison (SCE) has taken significant steps to address the failures that led to a mishap last year in the transfer of used fuel at its San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). However, the agency also cited the utility for five minor violations of safety […]

A bill to reauthorize the Energy Department’s continued nuclear cleanup at the West Valley Demonstration Project in New York state drew scant attention Tuesday during a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources energy subcommittee. The measure was one of 11 bills for consideration and testimony at the one-hour morning legislative hearing. Subcommittee Chairman […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) expects around July 29 to issue the request for proposals for decommissioning of the long-retired SM-1 nuclear power reactor at Fort Belvoir, Va. The contract will feature both firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-incentive fee components, according to a presolicitation notice issued Monday. It will have a five-year term. The Army […]