Entergy estimates it will need to withdraw about $5 million from the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant’s $581 million decommissioning trust fund, Nuclear Regulatory Commission documents show.
Entergy spokesman Marty Cohn said over the phone Wednesday that the estimate is part of an ongoing dialogue with the regulator. Each month Entergy is required to provide an estimate to NRC for decommissioning trust fund withdrawals. He said the company typically withdraws between $6 million and $7 million, though the amount does fluctuate.
September expenses include: site-specific decommissioning costs related to licensing and emergency planning contractor costs; insurance; and property tax, according to a Sept. 7 letter to NRC. Entergy will withdraw up to $5 million in early October, so long as NRC Director for the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Bill Dean has no objections. NRC spokesman David McIntyre said Wednesday that no action has been taken on the agency’s part.
Cohn said the decommissioning trust fund was recorded at $581 million at the end of August, down from the $595.4 million recorded as of December 2015. The end-of-year amount was about $70 million less than 2014. The bulk of the decline came from Entergy’s $58 million withdrawal for decommissioning expenses, including employee salaries, plant modification, and construction costs.
Vermont Yankee, which shut down in 2014, opted for SAFSTOR decommissioning, which is expected to be completed by 2068. The total cost of decommissioning is projected at $1.2 billion. Entergy plans to move Vermont Yankee’s spent fuel into dry storage by the end of 2020, but Cohn said Entergy is targeting June 2020 to finish the job.
Cohn said Entergy anticipates 6.5 percent growth for 2016 in the value of the trust fund, which compares to NRC’s estimate of 3 percent growth.
