Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday began its second round of inspections at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station associated with increased oversight at the Massachusetts plant. The commission downgraded Pilgrim’s safety rating in September after a series of unplanned shutdowns and safety relief valve issues, moving the plant into Column 4 of the NRC Action […]

A subsidiary of power provider Entergy, System Fuels Inc., is entitled to about $6.6 million from the federal government stemming from the cost to load spent nuclear fuel into storage casks at the Grand Gulf, Miss., and Arkansas Nuclear One power plants, a federal court ruled Monday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit […]

U.S. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on April 1 signed legislation lifting the state’s 33-year ban on building new nuclear power plants. The state Senate, in a 23-9 vote, approved Rep. Kevin Petersen’s (R-Waupaca) legislation in December. Wisconsin previously prohibited construction of new plants on the basis that the federal government has not established a capable national […]

It remains unclear if there are human health concerns associated with radioactive material the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has identified on private property near the West Lake Landfill. In its final report on the matter, issued April 1, the department said additional investigation is needed on at least two soil samples that recorded radioactivity […]

Radioactive waste material at the West Lake Landfill in Missouri is located closer to a nearby, underground fire than previously thought, according to the latest findings from the Environmental Protection Agency. The agency provided a landfill update addressing previously unidentified waste late last week, which prompted criticism and concern from both government officials and local residents. Missouri Attorney […]

Entergy announced Tuesday that it will hire Securitas Critical Infrastructure Services to provide protective services for the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant starting June 28. Vermont Yankee security manager Patrick Ryan said in a statement that outsourcing plant security will “greatly reduce administrative burden over the next four years,” noting that the top priority “continues […]

An industry executive agreed Wednesday that concerns over transportation of spent nuclear fuel could impact the Department of Energy’s deadlines for moving that material into consolidated interim storage. The department in December rolled out plans for operation of a pilot storage facility by 2021; one or more larger, interim facilities by 2025; and finally at least […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Kristine Svinicki said Tuesday the agency needs to be honest with itself as it works through Project Aim 2020 and avoid using euphemisms and pulling punches. Initiated in 2014, Project Aim is NRC’s attempt to re-evaluate and reduce its staffing and workload to become a more efficient organization. The project includes reducing […]

U.S. In a significant decommissioning milestone, EnergySolutions subsidiary ZionSolutions announced Tuesday that it had removed the last remaining large components from the Zion Nuclear Power Station in Illinois. The large components – which include the steam generators, pressurizers, piping components, reactor coolant pumps, and motors – also have been prepared for shipment and final disposition. Tuesday’s […]

International Isotopes Inc. recorded a net loss of $1.8 million in 2015, compared to a loss of $1.5 million in 2014, according to the latest earnings report from the company, which attributed the net-loss increase to a boost in research and development spending on new pharmaceutical products. The Monday earnings report shows the company had […]

Waste Control Specialists continues to advocate for legislation it hopes will pave the way for interim storage of U.S. nuclear waste, with CEO Rod Baltzer stating in a blog post this week, “Let’s just do it.” Last week, Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) introduced legislation that would allow the Department of Energy to contract with private […]

The Australia Institute is taking aim again at a nuclear waste plan that backers say would produce billions of dollars in revenue for South Australia, this time with a report claiming the plan makes dangerous cost-benefit assumptions. South Australia Sen. Sean Edwards is proposing a plan in which the state would take in about 13 […]

U.S. SHINE Medical Technologies, which recently won federal approval to build a medical isotope facility in Wisconsin, announced this week the successful operation of an accelerator-based neutron generator for 132 consecutive hours with greater than 97 percent uptime. The test run, which was completed March 14-19 in Wisconsin, is an industry first for extended operation […]

Despite the failure to secure a location in North Dakota for a deep-borehole nuclear waste storage field test, the Department of Energy does not anticipate any significant fluctuation in the cost of the $35 million project. Lead contractor Battelle Memorial Institute had planned to break ground on the five-year project near Rugby, N.D., in September, […]

Entergy, owner of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, said Monday that it will work within the political process to oppose bills gaining momentum in Massachusetts that would give the state discretion over $25 million in annual funds the company would provide to supplement decommissioning at the plant. The state legislature’s Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy […]

Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York have co-signed a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission asking the agency to eliminate its 60-year option for nuclear power plant decommissioning and require operators to complete the work within a decade. Current NRC regulations allow decommissioning plants to opt for SAFSTOR, which allows six decades for decommissioning or until […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this week that most of its licensees should expect a reduction in annual fees for fiscal 2016, as the agency works through regulation changes for licensing, inspection, special project, and fee schedules. NRC is accepting public comment on the proposed changes through April 22. The fiscal 2016 proposed rule would […]

Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) this week introduced legislation that would allow the Department of Energy to contract private companies for interim storage of nuclear waste. Such legislation is seen as necessary for establishing private, interim facilities that would store spent nuclear fuel now held on-site at nuclear power plants around the country. Two companies, Waste […]

The James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant remains on schedule for permanent shutdown in January 2017, despite an announcement this week that the New York state Senate’s new budget plan includes $100 million meant to expedite access to tax credits for renewable energy sources. The New York Public Service Commission in February announced a “rescue […]

Members of the Vermont congressional delegation are urging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to give local stakeholders “a seat at the table” in the decommissioning process for nuclear power plants. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I), and Rep. Peter Welch (D), joined by 12 colleagues in the House and Senate, wrote a letter to […]

  A flawed market design and the fall of natural gas prices are among the contributors nuclear power facility owners cite when prematurely closing facilities. That has been no different with Entergy, a power company that announced the closures of three plants in 2014-15: Vermont Yankee, FitzPatrick, and Pilgrim. Consensus from the surrounding communities over the […]

U.S. A senior Nuclear Regulatory Commission official said Thursday the agency has begun preparing for a potential workload shift, as it expects two license applications this year for companies looking to operate interim storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel. NRC is expecting an application from Texas-based Waste Control Specialists in April and another a few […]

The North Dakota Health Council violated state public meeting law during the approval process for rule changes that allow for higher radioactivity levels in oil-field waste, state Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem concluded in an opinion Tuesday. According to Stenehjem, the council failed to provide proper public notice for an August 2015 meeting in which the […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Kristine Svinicki suggested Tuesday that NRC staff consider expediting parts of its decommissioning rulemaking, so that the new rules can be applied to any nuclear power plants that announce premature shutdowns in the next two years. The rulemaking is in an effort to improve nuclear plant decommissioning regulations, with a particular focus […]

The Department of Energy is, for now, retaining Battelle Memorial Institute as its lead contractor for a deep-borehole nuclear waste storage field test after the original drilling plan was thwarted in North Dakota. DOE spokesman Bill Wicker said by email Wednesday that the department has asked Battelle to propose options outside North Dakota. “Battelle remains DOE’s […]

House Republicans in a letter Thursday urged Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to “expeditiously” restart the stalled Yucca Mountain license application review. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and panel member John Shimkus (R-Ill.) penned the letter, seeking information on DOE’s nuclear waste policy. The letter comes two weeks after Upton and Shimkus sent a […]

Southern California Edison expects in June or July to select a prime contractor for decommissioning of its shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station near San Diego, a senior official said last week. SCE Vice President Tom Palmisano, SONGS decommissioning and chief nuclear officer, said he could not discuss the criteria the company is using in […]