SUMMERLIN, NEV. — A protracted challenge to its recent purchase of a Wisconsin nuclear power plant hasn’t altered EnergySolutions’ strategy for future transactions, a company executive said here this week.
EnergySolutions COO Jeff Richardson told RadWaste Monitor Monday that the company was “happy with the way we approached” its purchase of Kewaunee Power Station from Dominion Entergy, which the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (WPSC) approved in May.
“I think we felt like we took the right steps and worked with the customer and with the Public Service Commission,” Richardson said on the sidelines of the Exchange Monitor’s Decommissioning Strategy Forum. “So, looking back on it, we’re pretty happy with how things went.”
WPSC approved the sale after a months-long, often contentious, review process. NorthStar, a rival decommissioning company, intervened in the proceedings in September, arguing, among other things, that Dominion should have used a competitive process for selecting a decommissioning contractor for Kewaunee.
The New York-based company also contended that it could have dismantled the plant for around $500 million, a significantly lower price than EnergySolutions’ quoted $724 million for the job. EnergySolutions argued at the time that NorthStar had no evidence to prove its claims.
Despite the conflict surrounding Kewaunee’s sale, Richardson said Monday that he wouldn’t change anything about how EnergySolutions approaches future license transfer reviews.
“Generally speaking, it was good,” he said. “You’ve always got the opportunity for surprises, but there was nothing from our perspective that would make us step back and say, ‘don’t do that, or avoid that or do it differently.’ We stand by the approach we took, and I think all that ultimately played into our success.”
EnergySolutions and Dominion agreed to terms on the Carlton, Wisc., Kewaunee plant’s sale in May 2021. Once the transaction becomes final, EnergySolutions will have four decommissioning projects under its belt, including California’s San Onofre plant, Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant in Nebraska and Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island Unit 2.
