Florida’s Public Service Commission on Tuesday provided the last regulatory approval needed for expedited decommissioning of the retired Crystal River nuclear power plant.
Following a 14-month review, the five-member panel signed off on the decommissioning plan. Facility owner Duke Energy aims in October to seal a contract with Accelerated Decommissioning Partners to complete the cleanup project by 2027.
“Duke’s transaction requires no additional funds from its customers, and mitigates any risk from the plant’s otherwise long-term dormancy,” Public Service Commission Chairman Gary Clark said in a press release. “Customers will also benefit from the plan’s fixed-price and elimination of continued execution and property maintenance risk.”
Built in Citrus County, Crystal River provided power from 1977 to 2009. It was shut down permanently in 2013 due to damage to its containment building.
Duke had placed the reactor in “safe storage,” or SAFSTOR, mode, with decommissioning planned for completion in 2074. But it changed course in 2019, announcing plans for a $540 million contract with Accelerated Decommissioning Partners.
Accelerated Decommissioning Partners is a joint venture of demolition specialist NorthStar Group Services and Orano USA, the domestic branch of French nuclear company Orano. Decommissioning will be carried out by subsidiary ADP CR3.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission in spring approved the transfer of the reactor license from Duke to ADP, which was necessary for the planned job.
“During the next six weeks, we will focus on pre-closure work, such as finalizing organizational structures and processes, such as working inside a radiation-controlled area; transaction-closure readiness, including supporting Accelerated Decommissioning Partners’ preparation to become the Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensee; and return-to-the-workplace plans related to the pandemic,” Duke spokeswoman Heather Danenhower said by email Tuesday.
The initial work this year will focus on planning and engineering for decommissioning, with removal of the reactor vessel, steam generators, and other radioactive and nonradioactive components scheduled for 2021 to 2026. Demolition of all structures, minus the spent-fuel storage pad, is planned for 2026 to 2027.
