Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

An environmental group is leading the charge against Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) controversial plan to develop a deep geologic repository (DGR) for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste along the shores of Lake Huron. The Great Lakes Environmental Alliance (GLEA), which was formed in response to the proposal, is urging residents in Canada and the United […]

The Energy Department’s deep borehole field test is once again facing public opposition, this time in Haakon County, S.D., where residents are asking the county commission to block the project. So far, the estimated five-year, $80 million project — which would deliver data on whether 16,000-foot boreholes drilled into crystalline rock formations are appropriate for […]

BWX Technologies director of regulatory affairs Scott Kirk will receive the Hodes Award for his role in preparing Waste Control Specialists’ application to operate an interim nuclear waste storage facility in West Texas, among other efforts. The Southeast Compact Commission will present the award to Kirk on March 6 at the Phoenix, Ariz., Convention Center […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Friday approved Entergy’s request to transfer the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant’s operating license and estimated $700 million decommissioning trust fund to Exelon. The decision marks the final federal approval required for Entergy to complete its $110 million sale of FitzPatrick to Exelon, which will allow the struggling 41-year-old upstate […]

The Senate on Thursday confirmed James Richard “Rick” Perry as U.S. secretary of energy, installing the former Texas governor to the government’s top nuclear weapons, waste, and energy post after an uncontroversial 62-37 vote. Perry was sworn in hours later and addressed employees at DOE headquarters for the first time today. Every Senate Republican and 10 […]

U.S. Southern California Edison (SCE) is on pace to complete its independent spent fuel storage installation expansion at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) by 2019, SCE Vice President Tom Palmisano said recently. Palmisano appeared earlier this month before the San Onofre Community Engagement Panel, which serves as a liaison between SCE and the […]

Residents in Massachusetts are petitioning Gov. Charlie Baker to support expeditious transfer of spent fuel at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station to dry storage. Cape Downwinders — a group of residents from Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket – has been circulating a petition to advance advisory questions to local ballots this spring and fall […]

Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) is preparing legislation aimed at restarting licensing efforts for the mothballed Yucca Mountain repository with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a staffer confirmed Wednesday. Shimkus spokesman Jordan Haverly said the bill would address controversial land and water rights in Nevada that the Energy Department has said make the project “unworkable.” The legislation, […]

U.S. Edison International said Tuesday it recorded net income of $345 million, or $1.06 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2016, compared to a net loss of $79 million, or $0.24 per share, in the same period for 2015.  Based in Rosemead, Calif., Edison International is the parent company of Southern California Edison (SCE), […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Friday approved the export of up to 144 kilograms of nuclear weapon-grade uranium to Belgium. The fuel elements, enriched to 93.2 percent, would be used to reload the Belgian Reactor No. 2 at the Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie-Centre d’Etude de l’Energie Nucléaire (SCK-CEN). The regulator, though, ruled that the license issued […]

An anti-nuclear activist on Thursday slammed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its handling of a planned interim nuclear waste storage site in West Texas, accusing the agency of collusion with applicant Waste Control Specialists. Kevin Kamps, radioactive waste watchdog at Beyond Nuclear, criticized the regulator for inappropriately supporting the plan, rushing the licensing process, and violating […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has denied a petition from a retired Department of Energy physicist calling for the agency to mandate increased monitoring of nuclear plants’ spent nuclear fuel pools and reactors to prevent a disaster similar to the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi triple-meltdown in Japan. The regulator said in a Federal Register notice posted Tuesday that […]

Power company Entergy on Wednesday reported a $583.6 million loss for 2016, a massive dropoff from the $176.6 million loss reported for 2015. The utility reported a $1.8 billion loss for the fourth quarter, compared to a $99.6 million gain for the same time period in 2015. In discussing the loss in a statement, Chairman […]

The United Kingdom’s Sellafield site has started placing sludge from one of its two legacy fuel storage ponds into an interim holding site, the nuclear facility’s operator said Tuesday. Sellafield Ltd. in mid-December transported the initial batch of sludge from the Pile Fuel Storage Pond to the Cumbria nuclear site’s waste encapsulation plant (WEP). The […]

U.S. The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station returned to the grid Sunday, following a malfunction with the Massachusetts plant’s condenser system and operator Entergy’s decision to power the facility down ahead of winter storm Niko. The 44-year-old facility, which is due to close in 2019, was reduced to 28 percent power on Feb. 7, after Entergy […]

The United States and Russia have significant opportunities to collaborate on cleanup of nuclear contamination and the prevention of nuclear terrorism, even as they remain antagonists in other spheres, according to a report issued this week by nongovernmental groups from both nations. The report, “Pathways to Cooperation,” resulted from a February 2016 meeting of experts […]

Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of quarterly news summaries and analyses about President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office. We’ll check in with one long, big-picture update every 25 days, with a regular flow of updates in between to keep you up to date on news affecting Department of Energy […]

Reps. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) on Feb. 10 toured the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California while discussing solutions for managing American nuclear waste. Shimkus, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which holds congressional jurisdiction over nuclear waste management, has long voiced his support for the planned […]

North American environmental services company US Ecology recorded $477.7 in total revenue for 2016, down 15.2 percent from the $563.1 million recorded in 2015, according to the company’s latest earnings report Thursday. The company pulled in $117.2 million in revenue during the fourth quarter of 2016, compared to $138.3 million in the same quarter of 2015. […]

In the face of public opposition, the Quay County Commission has rescinded its support for using a site in Nara Visa, N.M., for the Energy Department’s deep borehole nuclear waste storage field test. Enercon Federal Services and DOSECC Exploration Services have been exploring a site about 300 miles north of DOE’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Citing […]

A group of utilities on Tuesday sued the state of Illinois, arguing that a recently passed package of nuclear subsidies improperly intrudes on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s authority over the wholesale electric market. Led by the Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA), the lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of […]

U.S. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled briefings for next week on the lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and the ongoing progress of Project Aim. The briefings represent the first commission meetings under new Republican Chairwoman Kristine Svinicki, who President Donald Trump chose last month to replace Chairman Stephen Burns, an Obama […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is tentatively scheduled to conclude its special inspection of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station on March 21 with a public meeting in Massachusetts, NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said Tuesday. An NRC report will be due 45 days after that date to detail findings of the inspection at the 44-year-old facility, which […]

Selling off a nuclear plant to a specialist for decommissioning allows for a much more efficient process, an Entergy executive said Thursday in discussing a recent agreement. Entergy in November agreed to sell its Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant to New York-based decommissioning specialist NorthStar Group Services, a deal that is expected to shorten the […]

Legislation supporting consolidated interim storage for nuclear waste is unlikely to get consideration in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, a committee aide said Wednesday. The Interim Consolidated Storage Act, the latest version of which was introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) in January, would allow the Department of Energy to enter into public-private […]

The South Dakota House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill that would require the Legislature’s or governor’s approval for processing or depositing high-level nuclear waste in the state. House Bill 1071, introduced by Rep. Lana Greenfield (R), will need confirmation from the Senate and Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R). Nuclear waste has been a controversial issue in […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has rejected EnergySolutions’ subpoena for information in a civil antitrust lawsuit, arguing that the request is burdensome, vague, and fails to follow agency guidelines. EnergySolutions’ filed the subpoena on Jan. 24, as it prepares to contest the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit challenging the company’s $367 million acquisition of Waste Control […]