Decommissioning

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission expects to take nine months to a year to complete its review of the request from Entergy and Holtec International to transfer the federal license for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. The two corporations in November submitted the request to transfer the plant’s operations license and license for […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is preparing to accept public comments and requests for intervention for its review of the license transfer application for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. Pilgrim is scheduled to close by June 1 after nearly 47 years of service. Owner Entergy wants to sell the single-reactor facility on Capd […]

Representatives from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Holtec International are scheduled to meet on Jan. 9 to discuss two possible violations of federal regulations in the energy services firm’s updated design for a spent nuclear fuel storage canister. The apparent violations, identified during a May 2018 inspection of Holtec headquarters in Camden, N.J., could lead […]

Private equity firm J.F. Lehman & Co. has announced the promotions of two directors who have been involved in management of its nuclear cleanup and waste businesses. Glenn Shor is being elevated to partner and David Thomas to principal, according to a Dec. 20 press release from the New York City-based company. Shor has been […]

The operator of the retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California has requested a public meeting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to discuss potential safety violations connected to an Aug. 3 mishap in transfer of spent reactor fuel. “As discussed, SCE has decided to use Pre-decisional Enforcement Conference (PEC} for the two apparent […]

The Energy Department on Tuesday issued its final environmental impact statement (EIS) for tearing down buildings and cleaning up soil and groundwater on its portion of the 2,850-acre Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) in Ventura County, Calif. The EIS for Area IV and the Northern Buffer Zone is one of the last steps prior to […]

After a fair amount of fanfare, a House bill to push forward development of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada appears to have run out of time in the waning days of the 115th Congress. But, in securing strong votes of approval in committee and on the House floor, Rep. John Shimkus’ (R-Ill.) […]

Smoke and ash from the recent Woolsey Fire did not spread radiation or contamination from the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) in Ventura County to neighboring communities, two California agencies said Wednesday. In an interim report, the state Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and Environmental Protection Agency said field inspections and computer simulations turned […]

The Energy Department on Tuesday issued its final environmental impact statement (EIS) for tearing down buildings and cleaning up soil and groundwater on its portion of the 2,850-acre Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) in Ventura County, Calif. The EIS for Area IV and the Northern Buffer Zone is one of the last steps prior to […]

Cavendish Nuclear said Friday it had secured a contract worth several million pounds to dismantle and demolish the Dounreay Materials Test Reactor (DMTR) at the former Dounreay fast-reactor research and development site in Scotland. This will complete decommissioning of the facility, which is the oldest nuclear reactor in Scotland, according to a Cavendish Nuclear press […]

By John Stang Holtec International has requested a meeting with the U.S. Regulatory Commission to discuss two potential significant violations identified during a routine agency inspection in May of the corporation’s New Jersey headquarters. The site visit from May 14-18 was intended to evaluate “the adequacy of Holtec’s activities” related to federal regulations on licensing […]

A California Superior Court judge has rejected arguments by the Los Angeles branch of Physicians for Social Responsibility and other groups that state regulators could prevent Boeing from tearing down several old structures at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) site. The advocacy groups argued in a 2013 lawsuit that the state allowed demolition of […]

By John Stang Companies that want to assist in decommissioning the retired Fort Calhoun Station nuclear power plant have until Dec. 28 to submit requests for proposals. Staff at the Omaha, Neb., Public Power District told its board of directors that three companies are expected to submit bids, but did not identify the firms. The […]

The Department of Energy withheld a quarter of the potential $461,000 fee for contractor CH2M Hill B&W West Valley (CHBWV), limiting the ceiling to $346,000 for its cleanup work in the latest performance period at the West Valley Demonstration Project in New York. The fee was withheld for the contractor’s performance from March 1 through […]

Demolition of the Plutonium Finishing Plant at the Hanford Site in Washington state will not restart this month, as earlier projected. It has been a year since the Department of Energy halted demolition and work to load out unpackaged contaminated debris at the plant, following discovery of a second spread of radioactive particles. At the […]

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy said Monday it plans before the close of the year to buy a South Carolina company that produces equipment for decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. The Wilmington, N.C., nuclear services provider did not say how much it will pay to acquire REI Nuclear and “certain assets.” Founded nearly six years […]

By John Stang Holtec International and Exelon are urging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reject requests from Lacey Township, N.J., and the Sierra Club for intervention and public hearings on the proposed transfer of the federal operations license for the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station. The 49-year-old Oyster Creek boiling-water reactor ended operations on Sept. […]

Pacific Gas and Electric said Thursday it will need an additional $1.6 billion from ratepayers to fund the anticipated $4.8 billion price tag for decommissioning its Diablo Canyon Power Plant. The California utility plans to shut down the San Luis Obispo County nuclear facility’s two reactors on the dates their Nuclear Regulatory Commission licenses expire: […]

The Department of Energy withheld a quarter of the potential $461,000 fee for contractor CH2M Hill B&W West Valley (CHBWV), limiting the ceiling to $346,000 for its cleanup work in the latest performance period at the West Valley Demonstration Project in New York. The fee was withheld for the contractor’s performance from March 1 through Aug. 28, according […]

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy said Monday it plans before the close of the year to buy a South Carolina company that produces equipment for decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. The Wilmington, N.C., nuclear services provider did not say how much it will pay to acquire REI Nuclear and “certain assets.” Founded nearly six years […]

A California Superior Court judge has rejected arguments by the Los Angeles branch of Physicians for Social Responsibility and other groups that state regulators could prevent Boeing from tearing down several old structures at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) site. The advocacy groups argued in a 2013 lawsuit the state allowed the demolition for at […]

Companies that want to assist in decommissioning the retired Fort Calhoun Station nuclear power plant have until Dec. 28 to submit requests for proposals. Staff at Omaha, Neb., Public Power District staff told its board of directors that three companies are expected to submit bids, but did not identify the companies. The board met as […]

Pacific Gas and Electric has confirmed the specific dates at which it will retire the two reactors at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California. The utility said in a Nov. 27 letter to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it plans to shut down reactor Unit 1 on Nov. 2, 2024, and Unit […]

The United Kingdom’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) said this week it expects to spend £3.1 billion ($3.9 billion) in its upcoming 2019-2020 budget year. Just over £2.9 billion ($3.7 billion) of that will be spent on its nuclear cleanup, reprocessing, and waste management operations around the nation. The remaining money be directed toward non-site-specific activities, […]

By John Stang The Vermont Public Utility Commission (VPUC) on Thursday approved the sale of the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant from owner Entergy to a New York company for decommissioning. The three-person panel authorized an amendment to the 2002 certificate of public good regarding the ownership and operation of the single-reactor facility. This […]

The Energy Department is giving interested parties additional time to weigh in on the proposed new interpretation of high-level radioactive waste (HLW). The public comment deadline has been pushed back from Dec. 10 to Jan. 9, according to a DOE notice Tuesday in the Federal Register. Comments can be emailed to HLWnotice@em.doe.gov. After the department […]

An executive with a background in nuclear cleanup is set next year to assume leadership of the company managing decommissioning of the United Kingdom’s Magnox nuclear reactors. The U.K. Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) on Monday announced the selection of Lawrie Haynes as chair-designate of Magnox Ltd. He will take over on Sept. 1, 2019, when […]

By John Stang Southern California Edison (SCE) hopes to restart moving used nuclear fuel to dry storage at its San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station between Jan. 15 and Jan. 20, 2019. The utility announced that target Thursday at a San Onofre Community Engagement Panel meeting focused on an Aug. 3 mishap in placing a canister […]

By Darrell Proctor POWER A research group that provides information to institutional investors said cost estimates to decommission U.S. nuclear plants fell in 2017 for the first time in a decade. The Callan Institute, headquartered in San Francisco, California, in a report released November 28 said decommissioning cost estimates dropped by 2.5% last year, to […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering civil penalties against utility Southern California Edison after determining there were several apparent and cited violations of safety requirements in an August mishap involving placement of a spent nuclear fuel canister into storage at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The agency on Wednesday submitted the formal […]