Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

The designer of what is likely to be the first small modular reactor (SMR) complex in the United States believes the reactor will ultimately prove easier to decommission than a conventional nuclear power facility. NuScale Power, of Portland, Ore., is seeking approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to build its first SMR plant at […]

While there is no solution yet for permanent disposal of the nation’s most hazardous form of low-level radioactive waste, a small tranche of the material could within a matter of years be moved temporarily to Texas. The license application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for interim storage of spent nuclear reactor fuel at Waste […]

To Mayor Al Hill of Zion, Ill., H.R. 3970 is greatly needed for his town of 25,000 to economically recover from hosting a used nuclear fuel storage site. That bill was introduced last year by U.S. Rep. Bradley Schneider (D-Ill.), whose district includes Zion. The measure was referred to the House Energy and Commerce environment […]

Comprehensive Decommissioning International, a new joint venture of SNC-Lavalin of Montreal and Holtec International of Camden, N.J., plans to seek reactor decommissioning work, the companies said in a statement Wednesday. Comprehensive Decommissioning International (CDI) will be based in Camden, according to a joint press release. The companies had not identified any specific decommissioning projects they […]

The Environmental Protection Agency expects to issue its Record of Decision for cleanup of the radioactively contaminated West Lake Landfill in Missouri by Sept. 30. The agency’s preferred option for cleanup is called partial excavation: removing soil contaminated at 52.9 picocuries per gram or more to 16 feet below ground, then covering the area. Some residents […]

Congress this week delayed final negotiations on a 2019 spending bill that includes the Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission budgets for disposal of spent nuclear-reactor fuel, with the House again seeking to fund the proposed Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada and the Senate again opposing it. The House and Senate were supposed to […]

By John Stang The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined there would be no significant environmental impact in approving the license termination plan for the Zion Nuclear Power Station in Illinois. Agency staff on June 25 issued an environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the 2014 request from ZionSolutions, a subsidiary […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff and the Indiana Michigan Power Co. have scheduled a July 17 teleconference to discuss a steep, unexpected reduction in the decommissioning trust funds for the Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant’s two power reactors. In March 2017, Indiana Michigan Power reported the trust funds as of Dec. 31, 2016, stood at $459.5 […]

The House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday approved legislation that would require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to produce a report on “best practices” for establishing local advisory boards near nuclear power plants undergoing decommissioning. The language was included in an amendment from Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.). The panel […]

The resignation of controversy-plagued Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt will not change the federal approach for cleanup of the radioactively contaminated West Lake Landfill in Missouri, according to the agency. On July 5, Pruitt submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump following a 17-month term in office in which he was battered by a […]

By John Stang The United Kingdom needs a community willing to host its permanent deep geologic repository for nuclear waste. So far, no one has volunteered. That’s the dilemma the House of Commons’ Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee faced Tuesday when it sought feedback from experts on a proposed national policy statement to build […]

By John Stang Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) is leading a dozen U.S. House members on a tour of the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada on Saturday in hopes of bolstering his case to revive stalled plans for a nuclear waste repository there. Nevada leaders quickly criticized the trip as flawed because no local interests will […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has set a hard deadline of July 30 for public comment on the scope of its environmental review of Holtec International’s license application for an interim spent fuel storage facility in southeastern New Mexico. The agency extended the comment period by 60 days, but denied a request from a host of […]

By John Stang The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission aims to collect information to determine whether any aspects of decommissioning the soon-to-retire Oyster Creek nuclear power plant should be studied to obtain long-term knowledge about other reactor operations. Owner Exelon plans in September to close the single-reactor facility in Lacey Township, N.J., a month ahead of […]

The United Kingdom’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority said Monday it will next year formally take over management of the now privately operated contractor for cleanup of the nation’s retired Magnox reactors. The government announced in March 2017 that it would cancel Cavendish Fluor Partnership’s contract to manage Magnox Ltd. as of Aug. 31, 2019, nine years […]

The Vermont Public Utility Commission (VPUC) on Friday said it would not issue a final ruling on the proposed sale of the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant until after the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission decides whether to approve the transfer of the site license from owner Entergy to planned buyer NorthStar Group Services. In […]

The first of three piles of radioactively contaminated soil in Port Hope, Ontario, is being moved from temporary holding sites into long-term storage. “The first load of historic waste was safely moved from the Centre Pier in Port Hope and placed into long-term storage on June 28,” Bill Daly, spokesman for the Port Hope Area […]

Newly installed Nuclear Regulatory Commission member David Wright has rejected Nevada’s request that he recuse himself from any decision on licensing a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in the state. Wright pushed back against the state’s contention that his actions and comments in recent years showed he supported building the disposal facility in Nevada […]

For the second year in a row, the House and Senate have set up a showdown over whether to fund the Donald Trump administration’s request to license a permanent nuclear-waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The Senate on Monday passed a so-called minibus appropriations package that includes $35 billion for the Department of Energy […]

By John Stang The decommissioning of the two remaining reactors at the shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California has the potential to uncover a previously unidentified radioactive groundwater plume, send excessive fumes of hazardous nitric oxides into the air, and damage marine life and habitat, according to a state environmental assessment. These […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday issued its final figures for fee collections that will provide the bulk of its funding for the current 2018 federal budget year. The nuclear industry regulator is budgeted at $922 million for the fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30, up by $4.9 million from the prior fiscal […]

Orano TN on Wednesday sealed a contract worth millions of dollars to refurbish and maintain three radioactive waste containers, and provide other services, to the United Kingdom’s LLW Repository Ltd. The specific value of the contract is not being released for commercial reasons, an Orano spokesperson said by email Thursday. LLW Repository Ltd. is charged […]

The parties to the planned sale of the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant hope to secure state regulatory approval within a month after the federal government signs off on the deal, according to a filing this week. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to decide sometime in the third quarter of this year […]

By John Stang A California Public Utilities Commission administrative judge has recommended approval of a settlement agreement on the division of costs for the premature shutdown on the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Judge Darcie Houck recommended June 22 that the CPUC approve the January agreement between the plant’s primary owners and several public watchdog […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday began moving radioactively contaminated soil from a former beryllium production plant in Ohio to final disposal in Michigan. The transport is a key step in cleanup of the Luckey Site property about 22 miles from Toledo under the Army Corps’ Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). The […]

By John Stang Wyoming could become the 38th agreement state to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, taking over some authority for management of radioactive materials otherwise held by the federal agency. If the commission approves the request from Gov. Matthew Mead, his state would assume responsibility for licensing, rulemaking, inspection, and enforcement of certain uranium and […]