The transfer of spent fuel at the shuttered Vermont Yankee nuclear plant is proceeding as planned, a manager for owner Entergy said Thursday during a meeting of the state’s Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel.
“We are transferring an average of one canister per week,” Joseph Lynch, Entergy senior manager for government affairs, said during an update on decommissioning activities at the plant closed since 2014. “We plan to have all of the spent fuel in dry storage by the end of 2018.”
Entergy began its final spent fuel transfer campaign in June. The plant’s waste will eventually fill 58 storage casks spread across two independent spent fuel storage installations.
Holtec International, which manufactures the dry storage casks being used at Vermont Yankee, is handling the fuel transfer. Lynch said a brief three-week transfer pause will begin shortly while crews begin routine maintenance.
Placing the spent fuel in dry storage is a requirement for Entergy’s planned sale of Vermont Yankee to New York City-based NorthStar Group Services for decommissioning. The companies are waiting for approval from state and federal regulators for the deal.
Lynch noted that Vermont Yankee radiological decommissioning trust fund grew by about $1 million to $575.6 million due to “favorable market gains.” NorthStar has projected it can complete cleanup of Vermont Yankee as early as 2026 at a cost of $811.5 million plus $30.6 million in pre-closing expenses.
