Nuclear Regulatory Commission

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 […]

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 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 Decommissioning […]

Staff at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission have determined that the Vermont state government is largely ready to assume regulatory authority over some radioactive materials. The only significant issue was with certain state regulations that require revision, the agency said Tuesday in a Federal Register notice. Vermont has said it will address those issues. In […]

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 site’s reactor and spent-fuel storage licenses from then-owner Exelon to the New Jersey energy technology company. […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in May spent just $639 of its remaining balance from the federal fund for development, construction, and operation of a repository for the nation’s nuclear waste. “While there are no significant actions to report for the month, the NRC provided limited program planning and support activities that resulted in nominal […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission plans through fall to hold 11 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, as required […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

U.S. Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) on Friday called on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to rethink its decision against posting 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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

The head of the New Mexico State Land Office on Wednesday became the latest official to express strong opposition to Holtec International’s plans for a spent fuel storage facility in the state. “I understand that we need to find a storage solution, but not in the middle of an active oil field, not from a […]

The House of Represenatives on Wednesday approved a fiscal 2020 spending bill that would provide more funding than requested by the White House to clean up nuclear weapons sites and less funding that requested for active weapons programs. The Democrat-led House approved the bill on an essentially party line vote of 226-203. The so-called minibus spending […]

The House on Wednesday approved a 2020 spending bill that would provide more funding that sought to clean up shuttered nuclear weapons sites, and less funding that requested for active weapons programs. The Democrat-led House approved the bill on an essentially party line vote of 226 to 203. The so-called minibus spending measure funds the […]

The members of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday rejected two petitions for hearings on the agency’s review of the license transfer application for the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey. The four-member commission formalized its decision in a brief affirmation session prior to a longer meeting. In a 21-page memorandum, the […]

Holtec International anticipates the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will within six weeks approve license transfer applications for two retired nuclear power plants, after which it would buy the properties for decommissioning, a company executive said Monday. Agency staff should in two weeks rule on the application for Holtec to assume the license for Exelon’s Oyster […]

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 Federal Register […]

EnergySolutions on Sunday said a seeming $15.2 million shortfall in the decommissioning trust fund for the Zion Nuclear Power Station in Illinois was the result solely of a documentation error. “There was an error in the original submission of the [trust fund] balance to the” Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” the Salt Lake City, Utah-based nuclear services […]

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 […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in April spent $939 of its remaining balance from the federal fund intended to pay for a federal repository for the nation’s nuclear waste. The spending left the agency on April 30 with a $409,861 unspent, undedicated balance from the Nuclear Waste Fund, according to the latest report to Congress. […]

A House of Representatives committee on Tuesday turned back the latest legislative attempt to appropriate funds for licensing the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada. A bipartisan group of five lawmakers proposed to provide $15 million via an amendment to H.R. 2740, a “minibus” funding bill for the upcoming 2020 federal fiscal year […]

The California Coastal Commission postponed its scheduled consideration this week of a permit that would allow primary decommissioning operations to begin at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The permit had been on the agenda for Wednesday, the first day of the commission’s three-day June meeting in San Diego. The discussion has been pushed […]

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) has formally objected to commercial plans for an interim storage facility in the state for spent fuel from U.S. nuclear power reactors. Holtec International, of Camden, N.J., has applied for a 40-year license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a facility that ultimately could hold up to […]

By John Stang Discussion on whether a state’s consent is needed for it to host a major nuclear waste repository flared up and then went unresolved at a Thursday hearing in Congress. The session of the House Energy and Commerce environment and climate change subcommittee, called to discuss three bills on radioactive waste storage and […]