Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

Rita Baranwal was formally sworn in Thursday as assistant secretary for nuclear energy at the Department of Energy. The materials engineer and nuclear industry veteran had already started work, including receiving internal briefings, prior to her ceremonial swearing-in by Energy Secretary Rick Perry, according to an industry source. “I am excited and privileged to continue […]

Holtec International said Monday it has completed the acquisition of the retired Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey for decommissioning. The announcement was no surprise, after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission last month approved the transfer of the Lacey Township site’s reactor and spent-fuel storage licenses from then-owner Exelon to the New Jersey energy […]

Duke Energy has asked the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to rule by the end of this year on its application to transfer licenses for its shuttered Crystal River nuclear power plant to another company for decommissioning. Duke filed the license transfer application on June 14, about two weeks after it announced it had hired Accelerated […]

The California State Lands Commission on June 28 voted unanimously to approve a resolution to support two pieces of federal legislation that would prioritize removing used reactor fuel from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). None of the three commissioners commented on the resolution. The bills are the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission plans through fall to hold a series of public meetings in communities near nuclear power plants that have closed or are nearing the end of the service life. The purpose of the meetings is to discuss best practices for community boards that would provide advice on decommissioning of the facilities, […]

By John Stang The U.S. Regulatory Commission this week pushed back its schedule for completing reviews of license applications for two planned used nuclear fuel storage facilities in Texas and New Mexico. The agency by letter notified the corporate teams behind the projects: Holtec International, which wants to build a site with maximum capacity exceeding […]

By John Stang FirstEnergy Solutions said Monday it would reconsider plans to close two nuclear power plants if the Ohio legislature by July 17 passes a bill that that would create a state subsidy for the bankrupt corporation. The bill is controversial because all of the state’s ratepayers —regardless of whether they are served by […]

Nuclear waste management startup Deep Isolation intends to seal its first contract before the end of 2019, executives said recently. The deal is likely to be significantly more limited in scope than the Berkeley, Calif.-based company’s ultimate goal of drilling deep holes for storage or disposal of radioactive waste, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth […]

In observance of the Independence Day holiday, the next RadWaste Monitor will be published on Wednesday, July 3.

U.S. Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) has reaffirmed his call for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to post a full-time inspector at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) until completion of the used reactor fuel offload at the retired power plant. The lawmaker, whose congressional district covers SONGS, cited a list of safety issues dating back […]

Leaders of two southeastern New Mexico communities this week reaffirmed regional support for plans for an interim storage site for spent nuclear fuel that could be built in their area in a matter of years. Eddy County and the city of Carlsbad are two of the four members of the Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance (ELEA), which is partnering […]

One of the Department of Energy’s major contractors has sealed a cooperative agreement with a young California company that is offering a “drillhole” approach for disposal of nuclear waste. Under the memorandum of agreement announced Monday, Bechtel will offer project management, business, and other support to assist Deep Isolation in selling its technology to the […]

Environmental services provider US Ecology on Monday announced it would acquire an energy industry-focused remediation and response company. The $966 million, all-stock buyout of NRC Group Holdings (NRCG) is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of the year, pending stockholder and regulatory approval, according to a US Ecology press release. “This acquisition will […]

By John Stang Legislation intended to help FirstEnergy Solutions (FES) keep two nuclear power plants financially afloat is in the late stages of consideration by the Ohio General Assembly. At the same time, FES has asked the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to approve transfers of the licenses for its Ohio and Pennsylvania facilities to a newly […]

The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) this month formally determined that the site of the now-decommissioned Southwest Experimental Fast Oxide Reactor (SEFOR) can be released for unrestricted use. Contractor EnergySolutions completed decommissioning the facility in April. While the University of Arkansas owns the reactor site, the work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. […]

By John Stang A Thursday hearing of a U.S. Senate committee focused on a perceived symbiosis between the long-delayed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository and two proposed consolidated used fuel storage sites in Texas and New Mexico. Senators and witnesses argued that a permanent disposal facility in Nevada needs to be actively in motion to […]

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) wants to give state governors a firm voice in the Department of Energy’s reinterpretation of the federal definition of high-level radioactive waste (HLW). In an amendment submitted to the lower chamber’s version of the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the House Armed Services Committee chairman proposed prohibiting any DOE […]

EnergySolutions last week acknowledged it is still running a multimillion-dollar shortfall in the trust fund to pay for decommissioning of the Zion Nuclear Power Station in Illinois, but affirmed it has the money needed to cover any gap. The Salt Lake City, Utah-based nuclear services firm on June 13 provided the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission […]

NASHVILLE – The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission expects on Aug. 30 to publish the proposed update of regulations for nuclear power plants transitioning from operations to decommissioning, according to its latest schedule. The completed rule would go to the agency’s signature authority – the commission itself – a year later, followed by publication in the […]

The head of the New Mexico State Land Office on Wednesday accused Holtec International of misrepresenting the safety case for its planned spent nuclear fuel storage facility in the state’s southeast. “I understand that we need to find a storage solution, but not in the middle of an active oil field, not from a company […]

By John Stang More than eight months after she was first nominated, Rita Baranwal was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Thursday to lead the Department of Energy’s nuclear power and waste activities. There was no discussion ahead of the 86-5 vote on the Senate floor. Opposing Baranwal’s confirmation as assistant energy secretary for nuclear […]

AECOM plans next year to spin off the business that contracts with the U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense into a separate publicly traded company. The Los Angeles-based infrastructure multinational said Monday its Board of Directors unanimously signed off on the separation, which is expected to be completed in the second half of 2020. The […]

The Democrat-led House of Representatives on Wednesday further cemented its newfound rejection of funding licensing for a nuclear waste repository under Yucca Mountain, Nev. In a 226-203 vote, the House approved a nearly $1 trillion “minibus” appropriations bill that would fund the Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission, respectively the applicant and adjudicator for […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Thursday approved the transfer of the licenses for Exelon’s retired Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey to Holtec International. Holtec expects by next month to complete its acquisition of the facility, announced about a month prior to its closure in September 2018. It will own the trust […]

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) last week vetoed legislation that would have given Waste Control Specialists a two-year break on certain charges and fees for its radioactive waste disposal operations. “Senate Bill 1804 was a laudable effort to address domestic violence, until someone slipped in an ill-considered giveaway to a radioactive waste disposal facility,” Abbott […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it will provide Texas with multiple opportunities for input in potential updates to federal regulations that could enable disposal of Greater-Than-Class C (GTCC) low-level radioactive waste in the state. That would encompass the public comment period for an upcoming NRC draft regulatory basis for GTCC waste disposal and the […]