Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Southern California Edison (SCE) plans in early May to hire a consultant to help develop a strategic plan for off-site relocation of spent reactor fuel now stored at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The anticipated hiring is one element in the utility’s effort to meet its commitments under a 2017 settlement over construction […]

Six corporate teams have been approved to compete for £400 million ($517 million) worth of decommissioning projects at the former Dounreay fast-reactor site in Scotland. Opportunities under a broad decommissioning services framework include building a size reduction facility, shaft and silo decommissioning, and teardown of historic active laboratories, according to a Tuesday announcement from decommissioning […]

By John Stang FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Corp. and FirstEnergy Solutions were due to submit a request today to the U.S. Nuclear Commission to transfer to their creditors the licenses to three nuclear power plants earmarked for closure in coming years. The two sister corporations, subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Corp. now going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, hope […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this week it would not penalize Holtec International for two violations of federal regulations during an update to the design of a spent nuclear fuel storage cask. The Camden, N.J., energy technology company could have incurred a $36,250 fine for one safety violation, NRC Office of Enforcement Director George […]

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wy.) is reviving legislation aimed at moving the federal government closer to resolving the decades-long impasse over disposal of the nation’s nuclear waste. The discussion draft of the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2019 is nearly identical to the same-named bill introduced in the last Congress by Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.). […]

Used nuclear fuel storage specialist NAC International said this week it had secured a certificate of compliance from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its MAGNATRAN transport cask. The April 5 licensing approval enables the Georgia company to use the cask for transport of its MAGNASTOR spent fuel dry-storage canisters. “Although there are no existing […]

Vermont on April 10 formally applied to become the 39th agreement state to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. If the application is approved, Vermont would assume authority from the federal agency for licensing and regulation of byproduct materials, source materials, and limited amounts of special nuclear materials. That is expected to cover 36 licenses in […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission hopes in August to begin a series of at least 10 meetings to gather public input for preparation of a congressionally mandated report on best practices for local community boards to provide advice on nuclear decommissioning projects. The report is due by 2020 under the terms of Sen. John Barrasso’s […]

Southern California Edison (SCE) plans in early May to hire a consultant to help develop a strategic plan for off-site relocation of spent reactor fuel now stored at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The anticipated hiring is one element in the utility’s effort to meet its commitments under a 2017 settlement over construction […]

The five members of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission unanimously terminated a decade-long, multimillion-dollar program to update federal regulations on material control and accounting (MC&A) of special nuclear materials. “The Commission has disapproved the draft final rule,” Annette Vietti-Cook, secretary of the commission, wrote in an April 3 memorandum to NRC Executive Director for Operations Margaret […]

By John Stang Exelon plans to delay decommissioning of its soon-to-retire Three Mile Island nuclear plant reactor Unit 1 (TM-1) for nearly 60 years, with a roughly $1.2 billion cost estimate for full cleanup. The reactor will join the long-closed Three Mile Island Unit 2 in the long-term storage and monitoring condition known as SAFSTOR, […]

Top casino and tourism executives in Nevada on Monday told Congress that moving forward with the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository could be devastating for the state’s economic future. In an open letter to the members of the House and Senate, Las Vegas Sands President and CEO Sheldon Adelson and 11 other executives said Yucca […]

By John Stang Holtec International said Tuesday it aims to buy a fourth nuclear power plant that nearing retirement, the Indian Point Energy Center in upstate New York. The announcement came less than a month after the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission asked Holtec to show it is not spread too thin to handle multiple nuclear […]

A quasi-judicial Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is scheduled on May 10 to decide which organizations are authorized to intervene in the license application for a temporary storage facility in New Mexico for spent fuel from nuclear power reactors. The same three-person board would then begin adjudicating corresponding […]

Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) said Tuesday he plans to introduce legislation that would expedite removal of spent reactor fuel from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). “Today, I was pleased to announce new legislation to ensure that the spent nuclear fuel here in Southern California receives top priority from the federal government for disposal,” […]

Holtec International said Tuesday it aims to buy a fourth nuclear power plant that is on the verge of retirement, the Indian Point Energy Center in upstate New York. The New Jersey energy technology company and Indian Point owner Entergy announced the planned deal in largely identical press releases Tuesday morning. If the sale goes […]

Watchers of the Department of Energy’s defense nuclear waste and weapons budgets will endure two more weeks of added uncertainty about those programs after Congress blew town for an extended spring break without making progress on a deal to avert automatic spending cuts that will kick in on Oct. 1. The House did make an […]

Exelon plans to delay decommissioning of its Three Mile Island Nuclear Station reactor Unit 1 (TM-1) for nearly 60 years, with a roughly $1.2 billion cost estimate for that approach. The reactor will join the long-closed TMI-2 in the long-term storage and monitoring condition known as SAFSTOR, according to Exelon’s April 5 post-shutdown decommissioning activities […]

Top casino and tourism executives in Nevada on Monday told Congress that moving forward with the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository could be devastating for the state’s economic future. In an open letter to the members of the House and Senate, Las Vegas Sands President and CEO Sheldon Adelson and 11 other executives said Yucca […]

An April 11 article in Weapons Complex Morning Briefing should have said that: Fluor Idaho holds the five-year, $1.6 billion Idaho Cleanup Project contract, which runs through May 2021; and Spectra Tech has a five-year, $41 million contract for work at Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensed facilities at Idaho National Laboratories, through March 2021.

The five members of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission unanimously terminated a decade-long program to update federal regulations on material control and accounting (MC&A) of special nuclear materials. “The Commission has disapproved the draft final rule,” Annette Vietti-Cook, secretary of the commission, wrote in an April 3 memorandum to NRC Executive Director for Operations Margaret […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission blasted as unbalanced a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that found the small civilian agency should consider tighter regulation of nuclear material that terrorists could use in a radioactive dispersal device. In the report published April 4, the GAO said the NRC’s regulation of radioactive material storage should be stricter because of […]

By John Stang FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. (FENOC) says it will ensure its decommissioning trust funds are up to snuff for covering costs for cleanup of its three nuclear power plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania. However, the company has not yet determined whether it will move to immediately decommission the facilities or let them sit […]

The Department of Energy has issued a small business sources-sought notice on nuclear remediation activities currently provided by Fluor Idaho and Spectra Tech at the Idaho National Laboratory. Fluor Idaho holds the full five-year, $1.6 billion Idaho Cleanup Project contract, which runs through May 2021. Spectra Tech has a five-year, $41 million contract for environmental […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in stepping on federal law and its own regulations in re-assuming authority over disposal of “very low-level” radioactive waste by power plants in agency agreement states, according to the trade group for the nuclear industry. In a Feb. 28 letter to the NRC, Nuclear Energy Institute General Counsel Ellen Ginsberg […]

By John Stang Holtec International has determined that scratches and abrasions on spent nuclear fuel storage canisters do not represent a safety danger at a closed nuclear power plant in California, executives told U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials on Wednesday. However, Holtec critics at the same meeting argued that today’s scratches could lead to major […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a meeting for April 25 in Florida to take public comment on Duke Energy’s request for the release of much of the property for its retired Crystal River nuclear power plant. In January, Duke filed the request for release of 3,854 acres of the 4,738-acre property from the […]

Entergy has asked the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to authorize the reduction of insurance for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts following its closure a few weeks from now. In two March 25 letters, the New Orleans-based power company asked the agency to by April 1, 2020, approve exemptions to federal regulations on financial […]

A contingent of members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday urged a key appropriations panel to meet the Trump administration’s latest request to fund resumption of licensing for the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada. At least 10 lawmakers spoke in favor of the White House’s approach during the member hearing day […]

Nuclear company Orano USA said this week that a recent approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will allow four of its NUHOMS storage systems to be loaded with spent fuel from nuclear power reactors after just two years of cooling. Previously, used fuel assemblies had to remain in power plant cooling pools for up […]