Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

Holtec International believes it can complete decommissioning of the three-reactor Indian Point Energy Center by 2036, assuming it receives federal authorization to buy the Buchanan, N.Y., nuclear power plant. The Camden, N.J., energy technology company laid out its schedule in a presentation Thursday to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials in advance of applying to assume […]

By John Stang Eden Radioisotopes plans simultaneous submission of construction and operations license applications to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its planned molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) production facility in New Mexico. The Albuquerque, N.M.-based startup discussed its plans during an Oct. 8 pre-application meeting with the NRC at the agency’s headquarters in Rockville, Md. The facility […]

By John Stang The California Coastal Commission unanimously approved a permit Thursday that allows for major decommissioning to begin for two retired reactors at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). While the coastal development permit for plant majority owner and federal licensee Southern California Edison (SCE) solely covers on-shore decommissioning operations for SONGS Units […]

Rick Perry on Thursday announced his resignation as the Donald Trump administration’s first secretary of energy after more than two-and-a-half years on the job. In a published letter to President Donald Trump, Perry said he would resign “later this year” from the Cabinet. Dan Brouillette, the deputy secretary of energy, will then take over as […]

EnergySolutions on Tuesday said it had sealed the deal for acquisition of reactor Unit 2 (TMI-2) at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, which famously partially melted down 40 years ago. Under the newly signed contract, the Salt Lake City-based nuclear services firm will buy TMI-2’s assets and obtain its licenses from […]

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday filed cloture on the motion to proceed with two appropriations bills for fiscal 2020, opening up the possibility of the Senate voting next week on first a minibus bill full of domestic spending and then following with a second minibus that includes the Department of Energy. The […]

House Appropriations Committee Chair Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) on Thursday said she would retire from Congress rather than seeking re-election in 2020. “I am honored that my colleagues in Congress elected me as the first Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee and will fight vigorously for House Democratic priorities as I negotiate spending bills for fiscal […]

By John Stang A watchdog organization on Monday asked a state court in California to halt the transfer of used reactor fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) and to make majority owner Southern California Edison prove it is on track to move the radioactive waste to an off-site location. The San Diego […]

Perma-Fix Northwest on Monday applied for a license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to export up to 10,000 kilograms of radioactive waste back to Italy after it has been treated in the United States. The incoming waste would be comprised of personal protective gear, plastic, paper, and a small amount of glass contaminated by […]

The state of North Dakota has temporarily suspended its review of applications to allow disposal of technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) at two landfills in Williams County. The freeze gives time for officials in the northwestern county to decide whether to approve amendments to the conditional use permits for the landfills to begin […]

A total of 181 nuclear power reactors around the world have been retired as of July 1, but only 19 of those have been fully decommissioned, according to the 2019 version of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report. The number of shuttered reactors rose by eight from the 2018 version of report. The United States, […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is still reviewing two petitions for intervention in the license transfer proceeding for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts, even though it approved the transfer in August ahead of the sale of the retired plant. The “presidentially appointed Commission that oversees the NRC still has to rule on the […]

Two members of Congress from Missouri are calling on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to hold an open hearing on a license application for export of weapon-grade uranium to Europe. The Department of Energy on July 31 filed an application for export of nearly 4.8 kilograms of highly enriched uranium to the Institute for Radioelements […]

Vermont on Monday officially became the 39th agreement state to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It now assumes primary responsibility for regulatory oversight of radioactive materials within state borders, though that does not include the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant being decommissioned. The four NRC commissioners in early September voted unanimously in favor of giving […]

By John Stang Southern California Edison and partnering companies have petitioned a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit challenging decommissioning and transfer of spent fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) — saying the complaint features legal, engineering, and scientific errors. The motion to dismiss focuses on arguments that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory […]

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) last week indicated she is continuing her legislative efforts against a Canadian deep geologic repository for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste proposed to be built about a mile from Lake Huron in Ontario. The weapon will be one the lawmaker has used before — an amendment to a separate bill […]

NAC International is asking the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to waive $632,398 in fees from its review of the company’s new transportation package for spent reactor fuel. The costs were an unfair outcome of incorrect thermal modeling of the MAGNATRAN cask by an unidentified contractor for the federal agency, according to the Peachtree, Ga.-based manufacturer […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is taking capability statements from contractors ahead of an anticipated procurement for remediation services at the Luckey Site in Ohio under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). The Army Corps issued a sources sought notice on Sept. 24. Capability statements are due by 10 a.m. Eastern time […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has suspended work on a study of potential regulatory updates for disposal of very low-level radioactive waste (VLLW) while it considers other approaches to the matter. As recently as March, the agency said it expected to issue its scoping-study findings before the end of spring. However, staff is now separately […]

The deadline came and went Monday for the Department of Energy and other federal agencies to terminate at least one-third of their federal advisory committees, but it was not clear this week whether the agency had complied with the directive. A DOE spokesperson did not reply to multiple requests for a list of committees cut […]

By John Stang Nonproliferation advocates and medical isotopes companies hope to persuade the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission that a Belgian company should not receive additional highly enriched uranium from the United States to make its own isotopes. The regulator has received at least four petitions for intervention in its review of an export application from […]

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry plans to resign in a matter of weeks, after nearly three years as the Trump administration’s top manager for a range of civilian nuclear operations, Politico reported Thursday. Three informed sources said Perry would make an announcement before the end of November, according to the report. Deputy Energy Secretary Dan […]

The U.S. government has paid at least $7.4 billion to nuclear power plant owners for failing to meet its Jan. 31, 1998, deadline to begin taking their spent reactor fuel for disposal, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The U.S. Energy Department projects its total liability could be as high as $35.5 billion. The […]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency required significant revisions to four documents submitted for remediation of the radioactively contaminated portion of the West Lake Landfill Superfund Site in Missouri. Contractor Parsons Corp. in July filed draft versions of the emergency response and site management plans for Operable Unit 1 (OU-1) at West Lake, then in August […]

A longtime manager at the Department of Energy has been selected to lead fuel cycle and supply chain activities at the Office of Nuclear Energy. “I am pleased to announce that I have selected Andrew Griffith to be the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fuel Cycle and Supply Chain, NE-4. This reassignment is effective immediately,” according to […]

The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted 82-15 to pass a stopgap budget to keep the federal government operating for nearly two months into fiscal 2020 in the absence of a full-year spending plan. The House approved the continuing resolution last week, and President Donald Trump is expected to sign it ahead of the Oct. 1 […]

The U.S. Energy Department should focus on retired nuclear power plants and some of its own facilities as it prepares for the eventual removal and transport of radioactive waste from dozens of sites around the nation, the federal Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) said this week. That is one of three recommendations in a […]